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Live From the Golden...YVR...LA...HI

ccrain

By ccrain,
in Princess Cruises

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cruzin princess

cruzin princess

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Hi:

 

We have truly been loving your blog everyday and can't wait to meet you and your DW on Monday at the M&G.

 

This has been a long wait but it is now here. See you onboard at Sykwaykers.

 

Hopefully us East Coasters will be able to get out of bed in time to meet you all.

 

Sue & Howard

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ccrain

ccrain

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As mentioned by CruisinLiz we missed Catalina. I've never seen it this foggy at sea before. Could hardly see the water from our Caribe deck balcony. That's foggy.

 

That plus a medical emergency transfer and Catalina was aborted.

 

But not having planned to get off, we did the workout thing, then lunch. Did I mention the grilled chicken sandwiches at the Grill? Very good, or the Pizza? Yesterday was a four cheese pizza with a blue cheese as well. WOW! Nice bite, unique flavor.

 

So dinner last night continued the Princess Top Head Waiter competition. Mario presented a bruchetta appetizer and a pesto lasagna. (The bruchetta had a bit of Jalapeno and Cilantro in the tomatoes.) WOW, again. I think this definitely puts Mario in the lead. We've never had a pesto lasagna and tonight he promises a seafood pasta. None of this stuff is even on any of the menus. But it keeps appearing at our table. LOVE IT!

 

The regular dinner was the Chef's Dinner. I had the goat cheese souffle. This, along with our wine and the bruschetta was a real taste treat. WOW, WOW and WOO HOO! Then we had the strawberry sorbet, this was really good as well. A fantastic pallette cleanser. Judy had the seabass, which she liked, it was ok with me, I prefer a grilled fish, but the risotto underneath was quite tasty. I had the seared pork. Nothing spectacular there, but not bad either.

 

We skipped dessert. After all the "extras" from Mario, we were stuffed.

 

So we headed for the Wheelhouse for some canned dance music. (Hopefully this is where the couple described by a previous poster will be taking over.) We actually got to practice the Tango and the foxtrot basics we learned on this cruise. Vian is a great teacher. On a previous cruise, we learned the Tango, but simply didn't care for it. Vian taught it in a different way and made it much more fun.

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ccrain

ccrain

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Last night was Country Night in Explorer's. So we got there early for the Baby Dolls and was treated to an 11 minute Cha-Cha. (Geez, that was painful, but we cowboyed up and danced the whole thing.)

 

Country Night included several line dances (Acky Breaky, Electric Slide, Boot Scootin Boogie), the bang bang game, no Cotton Eyed Joe and the Tush Push challenge. We started the challenge but Baby Dolls sped it up too fast too soon to get in the groove. But we tried.

 

We missed the movie start by about 20 minutes, so we didn't go. After 3 solid hours of dancing we just called it a night. It took about an hour to come down anyway.

 

So right now we are docked in San Diego, next to Carnival Elation. Going to go out and look around, see the sights do some supply shopping, come back and work out.

 

Don't know if I'll get back on before tomorrow or not, we'll see. Otherwise I'll be back on next cruise for sure to continue this one.

 

E'ya all later...

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ccrain

ccrain

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We walked down to the mall, picked up some supplies, moseyed through the village and back up to the ship.

 

I know I havent been very good on reporting on the buffet food. So this afternoon we did the HC lunch. Excellent. From the shrimp salad, the greek salad, through the sandwiches and desserts, it was all good, except for the fried chicken. Judy likes fried chicken, but it has to have seasoning in it. This one not so much.

 

We had a very nice talk with the HC stewards, had our drinks (hey its 5 o'clock somewhere), relaxed and watched the world go by for a while.

 

Now I have to use up these minutes so I'll so a quick summary of the cruise. Keep in mind, its a repo cruise. That's why Im cutting some areas some slack. We've been on 3 repos and the entertainment on each has been spotty as opposed to a regular season cruise. Let's hope things jell next week.

 

Also keep in mind I'll be using our April cruise on the Grand as a comparison, and that cruise is in our top 3 for sure.

 

So for the summary:

 

Food - Very Good. Crown Grill not as good as the Grand's steakhouse or the UBD, but worth it since both the Grand and the UBD were well above excellent. Dining room food is just as good as the Grand, and because of Marios little tidbits here and there, even better. HC food is actually better in the morning and the luncheons. With the addition of the international cafe and Vines, I'd have to give the Golden the edge here.

 

Service - Simply top notch. Again because of JP, Mario and Conrad, I'd have to give the edge to the Golden. Not to take anything away from the Grand and Bruno, but I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks and Chef's table.

 

Cabin Steward - Dead heat for service. Both fantastic, but Irwin has given us TOWEL ANIMALS, which we have named. A really nice touch and greatly appreciated.

 

Entertainment - Quite frankly, a little disappointing. Granted, its a repo cruise and a fair judgement cannot be made until the end of the next cruise, but between the canned dance music, with inadequate CDs, and a cruise staff that just isnt jelling together, maybe because there is only one girl and a bunch of guys, it just doesnt hold a candle to Tim Donavan and his staff on the Grand in April. But, I'll recheck these observations next week when the real cruise starts.

 

A couple of entertainment bright spots: Vian, the ballroom dance instructor, the production shows, especially Motor City, the Baby Dolls and Dave's morning show. Vian especially was just not teaching ballroom, he was enthusiastic and it was contagious. The dance company on the ship just seems a bit more "mature" than we're used to, and it shows in their dancing and singing. It really showed in Motor City when you are up close and personal with the dancers. The baby dolls, in spite of the 11 minute cha-cha, are lots of fun. Both lead singers have great range and they can play a large range of music. Dave's morning show was never recorded, which I really appreciate, short, sweet and to the point - in spite of this cruise ship joke book.

 

So we'll talk to you all in a couple of days.

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redtop101 Holiday Sharing Rare

redtop101

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Hi Charles & Judy,

 

Right now we are in our hotel in Long Beach and itching to get on the ship tomorrow. We have certainly enjoyed reading your daily journal and can't wait to get on the ship tomorrow. Since we have been in Long Beach we have experienced the heavy fog as we drove to San Diego yesterday and can see why you missed Catalina Island. Even today as we drove the Coastal Highway via Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach we could still see the heavy fog over the beaches. Still very hot here on land though.

 

Can't wait to get onboard. Let the party begin!!!

 

Lloyd

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NotWthOutablcony

NotWthOutablcony

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Hi Charles & Judy,

 

Right now we are in our hotel in Long Beach and itching to get on the ship tomorrow. We have certainly enjoyed reading your daily journal and can't wait to get on the ship tomorrow. Since we have been in Long Beach we have experienced the heavy fog as we drove to San Diego yesterday and can see why you missed Catalina Island. Even today as we drove the Coastal Highway via Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach we could still see the heavy fog over the beaches. Still very hot here on land though.

 

Can't wait to get onboard. Let the party begin!!!

 

Lloyd

Wow, you all have a wonderful cruise!!! I can't wait to start reading some new Hawaii reviews!!! I'm so envious right now! We have to wait a little over a year for our Hawaii cruise, but in the meantime, we've enjoyed living vicariously through all of you. I hope you all have smooth sailings, and I hope you get to see whales and dolphins from your balconies!

Aloha!

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sassyredhat

sassyredhat

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So right now we are docked in San Diego, next to Carnival Elation.

E'ya all later...

 

We saw you sail away from San Diego yesterday, you had a beautiful sight, sailing into the sunset with the city lit by the setting sun.

 

We watched your San Diego sailaway too ! :D

 

Pat

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NUGal

NUGal

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I'm also looking forward to your Hawaii post, sure wish I was on the Golden now! Won't be long, really having that OCPD working right now. Found a Duck Tour in Honolulu that I think will be unusually fun!

 

We will be on the Golden on the November 22nd cruise to Hawaii, and I am interested in the Duck Tour that you found in Honolulu. We really enjoyed the duck tours we took in Boston and Ketchikan. Can you give me some more information on the one in Honolulu?. Who do you book the tour through? Thanks.

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scotty2

scotty2

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Thank You so much for taking the time to do live posts from the Golden. We will be sailing on 10/11 so I am very excited to get a look at everything before boarding. It feels like I am right there with you with the updated posts Thanks for sharing

 

Take good care of her

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cormike1

cormike1

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I am really enjoying your posts while on board. I can't wait to hear and hopefully see some pictures of the Golden on your Hawaiin cruise. We are on it next Oct. 2010 for our very 1st cruise so I am looking forward to hearing all about yours. I also would like to see your cabin. We are on the Caribe deck but midship...read on another post that the balconies on the Caribe are larger than the others so that is why I booked. Keep your posts coming...loving them. Thanks.

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mii

mii

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Hi there: Am reading your Live from as I will be on the oct. 25th cruise. Been on the Diamond two years ago doing the same route but looking forward to the Golden cruise.

 

If you have a chance can you find out if Wifi can be used in the cabins. We would like to take our netbook and I know you mentioned that you did not bring one on this time but if you would find out from a neighbor etc. sure would appreciate it.

 

Marilyn

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ccrain

ccrain

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Charles,

 

Thanks so much for doing this "live from". I am glad to hear you are feeling MUCH better (you were to cruise with us on the Ruby, but had to cancel). Enjoy the next cruise!! I look forward to reading more of your wonderful posts!!!

 

Yes, it was quite a year. I went and got a second surgical opinion, read up on the surgical risks and decided to give it more time. Almost had surgery in July, but they tried traction during therapy and in one session - magic! Went from a 7-8 pain level to a 2-3. 4 weeks of traction and the 7-8 never came back. I can live with a 2-3 and its still getting better.

 

Thanks for the kind thoughts.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Hi there: Am reading your Live from as I will be on the oct. 25th cruise. Been on the Diamond two years ago doing the same route but looking forward to the Golden cruise.

 

If you have a chance can you find out if Wifi can be used in the cabins. We would like to take our netbook and I know you mentioned that you did not bring one on this time but if you would find out from a neighbor etc. sure would appreciate it.

 

Marilyn

 

 

Marilyn I posted my live/Alaska from my cabin on the Golden. ;)

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ccrain

ccrain

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Hi there: Am reading your Live from as I will be on the oct. 25th cruise. Been on the Diamond two years ago doing the same route but looking forward to the Golden cruise.

 

If you have a chance can you find out if Wifi can be used in the cabins. We would like to take our netbook and I know you mentioned that you did not bring one on this time but if you would find out from a neighbor etc. sure would appreciate it.

 

Marilyn

 

They advertise Wifi in all cabins, but I will double check. The nice thing is that the packages now cover wireless and with off line composing you can save a lot of time and use very few minutes to email or post.

 

A word about the internet. The company running the system has made it really use friendly and pretty painless to get an account, log in, track your minutes, etc. The IT is knowledgable, but speaks a certain geek dielect, so be prepared to suffer a little ITishness as your technical term doesn't match his, and then you both try and find common ground.

 

One note of import. The Platinum credit is ONLY for minutes. It is not a general ship board credit. Yes, someone thought it was. They logged on for 2 minutes and expected the $75 credit from last cruise to show up on their bill. It won't.

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