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

[ccrain]

Back on line with some catching up to do.

 

The Landfall dinner menu was pretty standard. What wasn't was the pasta Mario ordered for us. A seafood pasta (spaghetti) with shrimp, mussels, squid, clam and scallops, sauteed in olive oil an garlic. It was the best pasta of the cruise so far. I have since informed Mario that we will not be cleaning our plates and that if we do he will have to roll us off the ship. The food is so good.

 

Judy had ordered the poached sea bass and I the meatloaf. Both were just so-so after that sea food pasta dish. Again, we just had to skip dessert.

 

We went to MUTS and saw Monsters vs. Aliens. MUTS on Golden is so much better than the Grand. Not quite the setup as on the Ruby, Emerald, Crown or CB, but very nice nonetheless.

 

Movement from one cabin to the other, 10 whole feet, was painless, as was the trip around the San Pedro terminal as we "in-transits" were walked around to the elite waiting area. Customs didn't get the memo as we asked questions like "where are you going now", errr...back to the ship...here's your sign, and grilled us on how much money we won at the casino.

 

Judy's girlfriend and her husband were one of the first to get into line at 11am. They were on board and luggage arrived in less than 45 minutes.

 

I hotfooted it down to deck 5 to sit with JP and reserve Chef's table for the 4 of us. There already was a line 8 groups long when I got there. (Largin - JP may be leaving next cruise, he may be staying till December. No one knows yet.)

[ccrain]

Someone mentioned the sunset. Incredible. Got some great photos with the San Diego skyline lit up by the setting sun.

 

We've moved around the corner from C753. Still that great Caribe Deck balcony, half covered. This time we have a table, two recliner chairs and two normal deck chairs. Our two guests were able to join us and enjoy those bar setups.

 

We have the same cabin steward. He was supposed to go back to the Phillipines, but with the Typhoon and the closure of most of the airports, he's staying at least one more cruise. Bad news for him, great news for us.

 

Sailaway was much better attended, organized and performed. Yes, Elua is on board. We did the little grass shack hula, then the standard electric slide, hey baby, mambo #5, macarena, etc. The crowd was a little bit more enthusiastic as well.

 

We did an hour of pre-recorded ballroom dancing in the wheelhouse, then hopped over to the baby dolls, had some dinner and then went to the welcome aboard show, with Kevin Jordan.

 

Dinner was Sailaway. Judy ordered the pan fried barramundi, I had the beef filets in peppercorn sauce. (Yes, I am taking digital photos of all the menus I can, and I am saving patters.) The cream of porcini mushroom soup was great, as usual. The cream vegetables soups are some of our favorites. I did have to send the first round of filets back, as Tom would say, it was already dead, there was no need to kill it again. Judy's barramundi was good as well. Mario has informed us that he is ordering a special pasta for the 4 of us tonight. Conrad has already arranged a standing reservation. These people go out of their way to make sure you have a great vacation. That's why I find it hard to believe some of the horror stories that are told. We have never, in 17 cruises, run into anyone that was rude, or deliberately mean. They all go out of their way to show you the best time possible, and we really appreciate it.

 

The Patter this morning is chock full of stuff to do, AND, there's another dance band in the wheelhouse - The Golden Quartet. We're planning to do the morning Foxtrot class with Vian, go the M&G at Skywalkers at 11, do the history of cruise ships at 1:45, line dance at 3:30, dinner at 5:30, dancing at 7 in the wheelhouse, dancing at 8 in Explorer's, back to the wheelhouse at 9:30 (we're not Karaoke fans), back to Explorer's at 10:30 for the 70's party and then up to Skywalker's at 11:45 for Mardi Gras.

 

Full, full day.

 

Let you know how it went tomorrow...

[karatemom2]

Thanks so much for all of the updates! Wishing you good weather and friendly seas.

 

If you get a chance I would love to know if David Cole will still be serving as the CD during the holiday cruise departing on December 20. He is our favorite CD and we are really hoping he will still be there for our Christmas cruise.

[scotty2]

What was the weather been like leaving port. Alot of people have said it's cool the first few days. Trying to figure out what to pack before we get into the warmer weather. Thanks

[Protirees]

What was the weather been like leaving port. Alot of people have said it's cool the first few days. Trying to figure out what to pack before we get into the warmer weather. Thanks

 

Hi, Charlene. I just got off the phone with one of the Princess reps in San Pedro and she said it was in the mid-80's there--in fact, it had been even hotter last week. Warmer than I had expected it to be, frankly. Guess we will have to wait until closer to the sailing date to get a better feel for it. And, of course, it is always cooler at sea but that also depends on where the high and low pressure systems are. Anyway, I'll be anxious to also hear of other's experiences.

 

Really enjoying this live thread. It has made it all the more real for me!

[AliceS]

Thanks for the interesting posts and a big HI to Beth and Val. I hope that you check in here. Wish I were there. Alice

[snowman]

We are following you from LAX and would like to know about the temp. and sea conditions. Thanks

[ccrain]

Best laid plans...

 

Seems I picked up a cold, so last night's activities came up short of the plan. Oh well, we are on vacation after all.

 

Started out a bit on the rock and roll side yesterday morning, not bad as far as open water cruising, but enough to kick start Judy's motion sickness. So now she's doped on generic dramamine, sea bands and ginger. This morning she's fine. I need a long afternoon nap on Nyquil.

 

The weather on deck is definitely cool and will only get cooler as the winter months approach. Yesterday it was overcast marine layer, this morning it is mostly cloudy, broken high clouds with patches of blue. My recommendation would be for the ligher weights, like hoodies and sweat pants, easy to pack and multi-purpose. As fall winds down, it will be quite chilly on the open decks.

 

Breakfast in the HC remains pretty good. Waffles, scrambled eggs, omeletes made to order. Peanut butter is available upon request.

 

So for yesterday's activities. Started with Vian, the Foxtrot and the Rhumba. With Diana on board, Judy's childhood friend, and her non-dancing husband, a couple of us helped Diana through both dances, which she thoroughly enjoyed. (Side note - Guys, you can buy her all the dinners and diamonds you want, but if you really want to make her smile, take her dancing.)

 

We then moved to the Piazza for line dancing. Dave, not CD Dave, still can't get the count for the electric slide right - he leaves out the boot scuff. So half of us were stepping on the other half. And there were about 50 of us strung around the Piazza.

 

The Golden Quartet turned out to be MUCH better than canned music. But they are not back in the patter for tonight. Equinox is up for the duration of the evening - no canned music! Hmmm, is someone else reading this thread?

 

Dinner was Princess Dinner 1. It doesn't say 1 on the menu, just one of 4 Princess Dinner menus, all different. But this one was pretty good. Diana and Keith joined us for dinner. For apps, I had the ceviche (very nice), then the oyster bisque (needed a bit of salt, but after that mmmm). Judy and Keith had the prickly pear cactus and pineapple in tequila. Which they both enjoyed. Everyone else had a salad, but the vinagerette was a bit flat.

 

We had the cherry tomato, basil and rigatonne pasta after that...

[ccrain]

The pasta was very good. For the main course, I had the duck, leg and thigh portions, Judy and Keith had the Turkey pot pie and Diana had the steak.

 

The duck was good, the Turkey pot pie was, suprisingly to me, perfectly seasoned and very good. Diana said the steak was good as well.

 

Christiana is our waitress, Vandolph her assistant. turns out her husband is one of the pastry chefs so we had to try the black forest cake, black cherry ice cream and the cheesecake.

 

Of all the meal so far, the cheesecake really caught Keith's attention. He really liked it. The Black Forest cake was very good. I like the use of whipped cream rather than heavy frosting in the layers.

 

After dinner we danced in the wheelhouse for a while, then went to Explorer's lounge for the Baby Dolls. We danced to their first hour, and then I crashed and burned. There was no way I was going to be able to stay up. I needed nyquil and a nice soft bed.

 

Turns out our new bed is hard as a rock. So Irwin put another eggcrate on it and its much better now.

 

Almost forgot about our CC M&G. It was held at Skywalkers at 11am. Good attendence. Finally met some of the one's we've been posting back and forth to over the past year or so. Nice to put faces with names. No one from the ship showed up, but we had a great time talking cruising. I think its pretty unanimous though - the upgrades on the Golden are fantastic, well designed and well executed. I agree with one comment though, hadn't thought about it, the stone floor in the Piazza will make it rough going with walkers. The grout lines are natually uneven, not by much, but enough to catch a walkers rubber feet.

 

Tonight is formal night and the waterfall will be up around 630 or 700. Judy wants to get some formal photos of all of us and her and Diana at the waterfall.

 

Oh - they have a ship building contest on board. Float a 6-pack across the pool. (Dicey horse racing is back as well.) So if you are interested, you might want to pack some building supplies.

 

Now I have a use for the duct tape!

 

See ya all later...

[GAPeachessweety]

Thanks for the time you're putting into this.

 

Note to self: :rolleyes: add some building supplies to the list.

[Solara]

Double post

[Solara]

Thanks for posting, we are sailing next week. Just wondering you said the temperature is cool on deck how about inside the ship. Would capri's & short sleeves work on the inside of the ship or is it cold inside too? Hope your cold improves quickly.

[cormike1]

I am really enjoying your posts!!! We are going on this same cruise next year so I am loving your write-ups. Has Judy tried eating green applies for her sea sickness. My friend swears by this remedy and has tried it and it worked for her. Keep those posts coming...would love to see some room pictures to if you can. We booked C330 on the Caribe deck because of everyone here saying the balconies are larger. Would love to see one. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your "Busy schedule" to do these posts.

[cormike1]

I went on Princess official web site and there is a web cam at the front of the ship and I was able to see what you are seeing right now...kind of dull right now. It is really neat being able to watch some of the weather you are experiencing.

[h20 4 me]

The pasta was very good. For the main course, I had the duck, leg and thigh portions, Judy and Keith had the Turkey pot pie and Diana had the steak.

 

Oh - they have a ship building contest on board. Float a 6-pack across the pool. (Dicey horse racing is back as well.) So if you are interested, you might want to pack some building supplies.

 

Now I have a use for the duct tape!

 

See ya all later...

 

WOW, thank you sooo much for your posts! We're right behind you, 10/11/09 departure, as Donna (Solara, our CC leader) has said. This will make it much easier on the packing end of things to hear what's needed and not, especially regarding the temps inside the ship/cabins and also once you reach ALOHALAND! Enjoy the ride, and thank you again! Enjoy your formal night tonight!

[snowman]

Yes we are also on the 10/11/09 cruise, so we are watching the weather closely. Thanks Snowman

[donscomp]

Well this is good news.......

 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has lifted a tsunami watch for Hawaii following a magnitude-8.0 undersea earthquake near the Samoa islands.

 

Not sure how true that is as the Weather Channel just said it was still under effect. For Hawaii & the Pacific North West.

 

Also said they want folks out of the water in Hawaii. I really hope that aint true but better safe than sorry I suppose.

[cajun-cruiser]

ccrain, Thanks for the post!!! We board Golden to Hawaii on the 11th. Keep the post coming!!! Will you be trying Sabatini's? If so, please give your review.

[ccrain]

Thanks for posting, we are sailing next week. Just wondering you said the temperature is cool on deck how about inside the ship. Would capri's & short sleeves work on the inside of the ship or is it cold inside too? Hope your cold improves quickly.

 

There are some areas of the ship that are under the A/C vents, in the theatre or in the Explorer's lounge, that are very cool and Judy brings a coverup with her when she wears a strappy, flimsy, dress thingy ( too early in the morning for technical fashion terms).

 

When we are dancing in the explorers, these vents are a godsend. But there is no real cold place. The Atrium area got real hot last night during the champagne waterfall because of all the bodies around.

 

A light coverup for formal nights would be recommended.

[ccrain]

Apparently two Princess ships left HI docks prior to the Tsunami arrival, which the captain says was about 12" in HNL. When he made the announcement at about noon yesterday, no one knew how bad it could be. Better safe than sorry. Too bad CNN can't give a simple straight answer - they were running around talking about 7 meter waves, come on folks, that's 20+ feet high.

 

This morning the weather, according to David Cole, will be great from now on. Broken clouds, about 72F outside, very nice, very comfortable weather.

 

First of, let me say we are having a blast. We still can't seem to do it all, but it doesn't matter. The food is fantastic, the service great, the entertainment top notch, the people friendly. What more could you ask for, except maybe another 2 weeks on the ship?

 

I am very impressed with the activity schedule for these four sea days. It is non-stop. Boat building, ducky adventures, survivor and pool games starting today, lectures, sarong tying, hula lessons, line dance, ballroom dance, bingo, lei and ukelele classes. It fills one page of the patter in much smaller type size than normal. Once again, we can't do it all.

 

So yesterday was ballroom class, then a private lesson from Vian in Skywalker's on the Foxtrot. A few other couples are taking one on one lessons as well. Judy went to line dancing with Diana and a couple of other activities while I had a nyquil nap.

 

Today we plan to do a lot more outdoor stuff, or at least watch it, to give you a flavor of what there is to do. But we have a private lesson first off this morning and then cha-cha class. We are having a blast teaching Diana in ballroom, and she's picking it up quite well.

[ccrain]

So last night was formal night, and the champagne waterfall. I think it was great that they moved it to earlier in the evening. Keith and Diana were able to get their pictures taken at the waterfall, as were Judy and Diana. Then we wandered around different photo ops for photos of the 4 of us and then some formals of Keith and Diana. This is going to be an expensive photo trip for sure.

 

Top Princess Head Waiter Competition continues. Our standing reservation came in VERY handy on formal night. Mario had ordered up a very simple pasta - spaghetti lightly sauteed in olive oil and garlic - and a bruschetta appetizzer. So good for something so simple. It was the Captain's Welcome Dinner, new menu.

 

Three of us had the smoked duck breast and Diana had the shrimp cocktail. Judy then tried the yogurt and tamarind cold soup, while Keith and I had the cream of asparagus soup. The asparagus soup was very good, but I did not care for the yogurt and tamarind. Reminded me of cumin infused yogurt and I'm not a big fan of cumin. For the main course I had the beef filets, cooked perfectly, Judy and Diana had the Wok shrimp and Keith had the pork roast. Everything was great. All are highly recommended.

 

For dessert, Judy and I had the cookies and cream parfait with grapefruit sorbet on the side. This was VERY good. The sorbet was unsweetened and absolutely wonderful.

 

Diana had ice cream, chocolate, vanilla and rasberry, which are always good, but Keith really liked the cheesecake from the night before, so he had the raspberry ice cream, the cheesecake and the chocolate souffle. All of which he absolutely loved.

[ccrain]

After dinner, listening to the Captain's speech and more photos, we went to the Princess theater to see Words and Music, and this time, at Vian's request, we sat in the first few rows up front. A much different perspective and a nice production show. We've seen it on other ships, but this one has Vian in it, so its much better - what can I say?

 

But honestly the two lead female singers have great range and crystal voices. Very nicely done.

 

The baby dolls had finished their first set and a ballroom blitz was happening in the Vista. We went to see that. I just can't dance in formal wear. (I end up drenched.)

 

So we had a very nice talk with David Cole about Princess, the cruise, the ship and things in general. A very nice guy. Personable, energetic, and a great scheduler. One of the nice things about his show schedules is that each is on for three showing. Two one night, one the following or preceding night so that you have three chances to see each show or entertainer.

 

Some bad news for you 11 October crusiers. Had breakfast with Karen, Baby Dolls, this morning. They are leaving with us. They were supposed to leave the end of alaska and we thought they had a couple more months to go, but Karen says they only extended two more cruises. This might change, everything is subject to change, but hopefully the replacement band is as good. We've gotten to know them quite well and like their music.

 

Today is another full, full day, so time to get started...

 

Aloha...

[ccrain]

ccrain, Thanks for the post!!! We board Golden to Hawaii on the 11th. Keep the post coming!!! Will you be trying Sabatini's? If so, please give your review.

 

We've done Sabbatinis a couple of times. Quite frankly with Mario sending a new and different pasta everynight, we kind of like to stay in the dining room for a while. We might go back to the Crown Grill one more time time with a few of our new friends. Much easier to talk in there than in the dining room.

[ccrain]

someone had a question about DUKW tours. Here's a website:

 

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/

 

That has .pdf brochures on a lot of different stuff for the four main islands. DUKW tours are in there as well.

[ccrain]

Thanks so much for all of the updates! Wishing you good weather and friendly seas.

 

If you get a chance I would love to know if David Cole will still be serving as the CD during the holiday cruise departing on December 20. He is our favorite CD and we are really hoping he will still be there for our Christmas cruise.

 

 

When talking to him last night, I forgot to ask, but he's giving all the indications that he will be here over the Christmas holidays. I will double check.