Unbelieveable Golden Hawaii cruise review

[bostongal]

We were on this sailing and although it was an older crowd (we are in our mid-40's) there were always plenty of activities onboard with alot of passenger participation. We generally don't do the organized activities, preferring to read books and play games together but we watched the line dancing classes and attended a few of the talks given by John Maxtone Graham. To say that there was nothing to do on this sailing is not true and shows that some people cannot be pleased.

 

The food in our opinion was good - not the best we have had on other Princess ships but we still managed to find something at every meal that was wonderful (still thinking of those almond croissants every morning from the International that we would have put on the panini press - OMG!). Aternoon tea was very nice, the Crown Grill was one of the best meals we have eaten in our lives and the final dinner we had was just outstanding. We had room service once (good turkey club), cheeseburgers from the Grill, many snacks from the International Cafe and great coffee from the coffee bar (coffee cards are worth every penny and DH loved the free hot chocolate every morning), glasses of wine in Vines and we even managed to find many things on the buffet that were quite good (fried shrimp late one night comes to mind).

 

The ship was rocking and rolling on the way to Hawaii and it definitely was very cool out on deck - didn't seem to stop people from using the pools or watching MUTS though. :D We did see some people who were having trouble with the seas but overall it didn't affect our cruise - we still read, relaxed and ate lots of great food.

 

I really want to comment on the service. This crew was some of the best we have every encountered on any Princess ship (14 cruises). They really went out of their way to accomodate us and did some things that were very special for us - sending full dinner to our cabin one night (I am disabled and couldn't make it to dinner) so I could have my lamb chops. They sent a nice large Love Boat Dream to share with our friends at our table the final night and singing to us when they found out we were celebrating our belated honeymoon, canapes delivered to our room one night as a special treat, a lovely card left for us for our honeymoon signed by the Captain. We did not arrange for celebrating our honeymoon but in conversation with our cabin steward we mentioned that we were on a belated honeymoon and he decorated with balloons the next day. The pursers desk staff were always pleasant and they handled a billing issue we had quickly. We got some of the best tips ever by the Cruise Director David Cole - one example was he sent us to the Kauai Beach Hut in Kauai and we had a great Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich at the beach there. He did not focus his tips on only shopping but rather on practical information such as transportation, great beaches and food - it definitely helped us out on this trip and enabled us to see so much more on Oahu, try some new foods in port and have some unforgettable moments. We met him on deck a few times and he was always pleasant to us. The Casino Manager, Jo, was very pleasant to talk with and I enjoyed the slot tournament that I played (won a hat).

 

Whew - there was so much on this sailing that was pleasant and memorable for us! I think that maybe we were on a different ship than those people and I am glad we had this cruise! I would highly recommend it to anyone who truly enjoys cruising and that if you go into the cruise expecting to have fun then you will have a great time.

 

Sorry for rambling but I hope I showed a different perspective for this sailing on the Golden - we would go back in a heartbeat for this cruise.

 

Meg

[gertz]

Thank you Bostongal for your level headed response to that horrendous review. And I would suspect there is a lot more to that review than was printed.

[Daniel1313]

We were on this sailing and although it was an older crowd (we are in our mid-40's) there were always plenty of activities onboard with alot of passenger participation. We generally don't do the organized activities, preferring to read books and play games together but we watched the line dancing classes and attended a few of the talks given by John Maxtone Graham. To say that there was nothing to do on this sailing is not true and shows that some people cannot be pleased.

 

The food in our opinion was good - not the best we have had on other Princess ships but we still managed to find something at every meal that was wonderful (still thinking of those almond croissants every morning from the International that we would have put on the panini press - OMG!). Aternoon tea was very nice, the Crown Grill was one of the best meals we have eaten in our lives and the final dinner we had was just outstanding. We had room service once (good turkey club), cheeseburgers from the Grill, many snacks from the International Cafe and great coffee from the coffee bar (coffee cards are worth every penny and DH loved the free hot chocolate every morning), glasses of wine in Vines and we even managed to find many things on the buffet that were quite good (fried shrimp late one night comes to mind).

 

The ship was rocking and rolling on the way to Hawaii and it definitely was very cool out on deck - didn't seem to stop people from using the pools or watching MUTS though. :D We did see some people who were having trouble with the seas but overall it didn't affect our cruise - we still read, relaxed and ate lots of great food.

 

I really want to comment on the service. This crew was some of the best we have every encountered on any Princess ship (14 cruises). They really went out of their way to accomodate us and did some things that were very special for us - sending full dinner to our cabin one night (I am disabled and couldn't make it to dinner) so I could have my lamb chops. They sent a nice large Love Boat Dream to share with our friends at our table the final night and singing to us when they found out we were celebrating our belated honeymoon, canapes delivered to our room one night as a special treat, a lovely card left for us for our honeymoon signed by the Captain. We did not arrange for celebrating our honeymoon but in conversation with our cabin steward we mentioned that we were on a belated honeymoon and he decorated with balloons the next day. The pursers desk staff were always pleasant and they handled a billing issue we had quickly. We got some of the best tips ever by the Cruise Director David Cole - one example was he sent us to the Kauai Beach Hut in Kauai and we had a great Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich at the beach there. He did not focus his tips on only shopping but rather on practical information such as transportation, great beaches and food - it definitely helped us out on this trip and enabled us to see so much more on Oahu, try some new foods in port and have some unforgettable moments. We met him on deck a few times and he was always pleasant to us. The Casino Manager, Jo, was very pleasant to talk with and I enjoyed the slot tournament that I played (won a hat).

 

Whew - there was so much on this sailing that was pleasant and memorable for us! I think that maybe we were on a different ship than those people and I am glad we had this cruise! I would highly recommend it to anyone who truly enjoys cruising and that if you go into the cruise expecting to have fun then you will have a great time.

 

Sorry for rambling but I hope I showed a different perspective for this sailing on the Golden - we would go back in a heartbeat for this cruise.

 

Meg

Thanks Meg... We take off on March 14th and we can't wait. My wife and I are close to our mid 40's. We took this cruise 2 years ago and we just loved it. Yes, it was a older crowd, but it did not bother us. We talk to anyone. Sometimes the older couples can be the best ones to hang out with.

 

Thanks again,

Dan

[mikedw]

If they don't like sea days, they would have loved 70 days underwater on a ballistic missile submarine:)LOL As long as I have my balcony, I'm happy hanging out there all day.

[Kruising Katt]

Oh My! I read the review and am amazed. From reading it, and noticing the poster was in a Penthouse suite, paid penalties for leaving early, stayed extra in Maui and then went to Las Vegas, my reaction was that it

was one very spoiled rich woman. What an attitude! I am going on the same cruise in late March and can't wait. I'm sure we'll find something to do on all the sea days plus have plenty of time to relax and enjoy. We're in the "older" group but enjoy meeting and talking to all ages and groups and hope that others would think the same of us. Sometimes life is what you make it and I'm certainly glad the OP won't be on my cruise!

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've found that a cruise is what you make of it. ;)

 

The only people I've heard from that were "bored" were ones that didn't join in any of the activities.

 

I've never had trouble entertaining myself, but some people do. These people should really think twice about whether a sea-day intensive cruise is something they should do. They would probably be much happier on a very port-intensive cruise.

[CRUZGAL53]

Well, we didn't have all of them every day (some days we had chocolate chip cookies) !

 

On port days we did a lot better, not being on the ship during the afternoon hours.

 

Actually I'm speaking more for myself and Tom.. Joyce & Rita seem to have had a bit more willpower than we did..

 

Oh well.. time to eat healthy now until the next cruise in May!

 

Gary

 

RITA HAS THE BEST WILPOWER OF ALL! I can't say no to the peanut butter cookies!

Joyce

[johnfas]

Read the review and couldn't believe they couldn't find something to do/food to like. We are in our early 40's, we love cruising and talking to people of all ages and backgrounds, I have a stressful job, and am counting the minutes until our sea days when we sail on the Golden on the 28th!

 

Alison

 

And we will be with you!!! Earyly 40's? I told my wife we will not be the youngest on the ship(50's)! She laughed!

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Geez I guess for some people it takes a lot in order to find something to their liking.

[cactusrose]

Unhappy people are usually unhappy because they have not mastered the ability to be happy within themselves so they want to bring everyone around them down too. That's evident in the comment that there were many people who ended up feeling the same way they did and even experienced cruisers said they wouldn't be back. I just pity these two.:(

[west coast cruiser]

WOW!!!

Some people are not happy unless they find something wrong with everything.

Unbelievable. I am taking this cruise next month for the 3rd time. I love the days at sea.

They were just looking for things to complain about. I sure hope I never have to be on a ship with them.

WCC

[kkorman]

I just read the most unbelieveable Hawii review ever. This couple was on the latest cruise to Hawaii. Before they even reached their first port, they contacted their travel agent to arrange flights home for them at the last port. All they did was complain about how boring the 4 1/2 sea days were. Even if you never had cruised before, it seems like you would have some kind of idea before hand what it would be like to be on a cruise ship for 4 1/2 days, without reaching a port. I can't believe that they could not find something to keep themselves occupied. I hope I never come across these miserable people. Here is a link to their review.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=63289

 

Sounds like someone did not research a longer cruise or even a cruise at all.

[c-legs]

Day 1 ;;;leaving 5.00pm

Day 2 at sea

Day 3 at sea

day 4 at sea

day 5 at sea.

etc.etc.etc......Now, since this is the earliest detail one ever looks at , besides the price, how come one would not compute that there are FOUR FULL DAYS at sea besides your evening departure....DUH !!!!:eek::mad:

It's like somebody buying two tickets to a hockey game and not figuring that there will be ....hockey !! all three periods of it !! and getting fed up after 12 minutes because it's so boring, all these guys do is skate around and push this silly little puck to each other....and just bailing out and going over to a chess match.

Figuring out that there are sea days is way before ''doing some research on your cruise and the ship''...

Some people......the most elemental clue escapes them.:o

 

Cheers

;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

I too am trying to find if this person has an account on CC (so far doesn't look like it). Was this the first cruise for her? If someone asks me for an honest opinion on whether they should take this cruise as a first one, I would say no, try a much shorter cruise and one that's in calmer waters (like Alaska). But if an experienced cruiser who enjoys actually being on a ship (not just taking the ship to get to the ports), I would say go for it.

 

When we took this cruise four years ago on the Island, we savored all of the sea days, whether we just went up to the sun deck during the day or go to trivia matches (I joined a group of die-hard trivia fans as we went from one type (Simpsons Trivia) to another (Hollywood Music) to another (tv Scene it) to... We only stopped for afternoon tea. During that time, hubby went to ukelele class and met some fellow guitarists (they all brought their guitars) and they had a jam session on the Promenade Deck. The Patters was full of activities, different types. Maybe galpal didn't look at the ones their cabin steward left them?

 

As for food, geeze. I'm not a foodie at all (let's just say my food intake today consisted of Cheerios, a salad at Whole Foods, a chicken bowl from a Japanese stall in a mall food court), but how can you not enjoy the food?

 

As for age groups, unless you go on this cruise in late December (like we did because of school), you're going to have an older crowd. People still in school can't go while school is in session and those in their 20s and perhaps early 30s are undoubtedly working at a job that doesn't allow for two weeks off at a time (been there, done that).

 

Of course, we could say she should have researched this cruise on CC first before booking, but not everyone knows about this site. I joined after we booked our Hawaiian cruise, when I found this site by total chance. But as some people have said, maybe asking the right questions of the right TA would have made her think twice about booking this cruise as obviously it wasn't the right one for her (if any cruise is:rolleyes:).

 

If she just wanted to go to Hawaii, then she should have flown there (personally the NCLA cruises seem to be a waste of time for me -- you're just using the ship to travel to each island, might as well jump on an intra-island flight).

 

And as someone else stated, I would hate to see someone researching this cruise and come across this review, as this woman had a mostly negative impression based on misconceptions, IMO. Better for someone to search the threads here and ask questions directly from experienced cruisers who can honestly talk about the good and the bad of this type of cruise.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Day 1 ;;;leaving 5.00pm

Day 2 at sea

Day 3 at sea

day 4 at sea

day 5 at sea.

etc.etc.etc......Now, since this is the earliest detail one ever looks at , besides the price, how come one would not compute that there are FOUR FULL DAYS at sea besides your evening departure....DUH !!!!:eek::mad:

It's like somebody buying two tickets to a hockey game and not figuring that there will be ....hockey !! all three periods of it !! and getting fed up after 12 minutes because it's so boring, all these guys do is skate around and push this silly little puck to each other....and just bailing out and going over to a chess match.

Figuring out that there are sea days is way before ''doing some research on your cruise and the ship''...

Some people......the most elemental clue escapes them.:o

 

Cheers

;)

 

As one comedian would say (Bill Envold), you just want to say to them, "Here's your sign."

[gingerwolf]

I have just read this report and kinda understand what they are saying............. but dont agree with the way they felt.

 

I am a 30 year old English male and i do feel that pricess is full to the brim of ver very old people and i do think that entertainment isnt the most exciting but you know what, who cares.......!!!!!

 

I have a great time, i am a big party animal at home so on the ship its time to chill out, relax and eat some good food, who cares how old people around you are, as long as i have my family and girlfriend around me i couldnt give a stuff if the rest of the ship was empty or dead (no offence to those nearing death)

 

On another note, i made loads of friends that i would concider "old" when on my last cruise, some of those guys can drink and me drinking with my dirty bananana made me realise that the old guys on the spirits arnt so fragile after all......

[sunshine nana]

For being almost 50, they don't seem to know much about themselves! I would love to have 4 days to sit and read, have someone else cook and clean and have time to dance with my DH. BUT, I know DH would not like to sit still that long. He loves to read and take naps, but he also needs a lot of activity. One or 2 sea days on a trip is enough for him. He loved Alaska, New England and Canada and the Baltic on Princess, but for Hawaii, we went with NCL. We flew there and back and just cruised for 7 days around the islands, getting off each day.

[Shifra]

The one good thing about this post is the confirmation that complainers seem to find others of their ilk which makes it easier for us to avoid them.;) Also I think we should all be happy that they will not be cruising again. Whew.

[farkle]

This review is really unbelievable. We were on this same cruise. We actually had the adjoining suite although we were on the opposite side of the ship and not connected due to a "vent" in between. Thank goodness, would have hated to run into those long faces. OMG....they didn't mention the aft vent........that would have only given them more to fuss about. The vent never bothered us one bit, couldn't hear it over the music of the "wake"........ahhhhhh. Amazing. I don't think these people would have been happy with anything and probably aren't. Some people just live like that. For my husband and I (on the same cruise) we had a fantastic cruise on a beautiful ship with fun people. Weather was perfect. Never enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. I hope this person's negativity doesn't cause anyone else to question this wonderful cruise. At sea days are heaven!!

[Duck Duck Cruise]

This review is really unbelievable. We were on this same cruise. We actually had the adjoining suite although we were on the opposite side of the ship and not connected due to a "vent" in between. Thank goodness, would have hated to run into those long faces. OMG....they didn't mention the aft vent........that would have only given them more to fuss about. The vent never bothered us one bit, couldn't hear it over the music of the "wake"........ahhhhhh. Amazing. I don't think these people would have been happy with anything and probably aren't. Some people just live like that. For my husband and I (on the same cruise) we had a fantastic cruise on a beautiful ship with fun people. Weather was perfect. Never enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. I hope this person's negativity doesn't cause anyone else to question this wonderful cruise. At sea days are heaven!!

 

You two made so much noise in your cabin below us that we just had to have a good time too. Hi Lori. Say Hi to Pat. Lin and I are doing the Panama Canal on the Coral in September. I wish we could have a suite again. We do miss Claudio, Doru, David, and Cornel at Sabatini's for breakfast. Travel Monkey is ready to go again, too.

 

We had a great time on this cruise and will be doing it again next year.

 

We haven't written our review yet but you can check out the blog (with photos) we did while aboard at: http://thegeomonkeys.com/category/hawaii-2010/

[PookyCat]

For being almost 50, they don't seem to know much about themselves! I would love to have 4 days to sit and read, have someone else cook and clean and have time to dance with my DH. BUT, I know DH would not like to sit still that long. He loves to read and take naps, but he also needs a lot of activity. One or 2 sea days on a trip is enough for him. He loved Alaska, New England and Canada and the Baltic on Princess, but for Hawaii, we went with NCL. We flew there and back and just cruised for 7 days around the islands, getting off each day.

 

See? You did your research and understood what the priorities are for the 2 of you. You selected a cruise that would meet your needs and result in a positive experience instead of a disappointment. Kudos to you!

 

My hubby and I were on that cruise and I don't remember a time when we didn't have something to do when we wanted - actually we had to make some difficult choices and skip some things!

The comment I got MOST when we got back (for DAYS) was how relaxed I looked! That was directly due to this cruise. The sea days were wonderful! And I think the seas were CALM compared to what I've experienced on other cruises. And people who like a little rock and roll were actually disappointed with this cruise so go figure!

 

This review is really unbelievable. We were on this same cruise. We actually had the adjoining suite although we were on the opposite side of the ship and not connected due to a "vent" in between. Thank goodness, would have hated to run into those long faces. OMG....they didn't mention the aft vent........that would have only given them more to fuss about. The vent never bothered us one bit, couldn't hear it over the music of the "wake"........ahhhhhh. Amazing. I don't think these people would have been happy with anything and probably aren't. Some people just live like that. For my husband and I (on the same cruise) we had a fantastic cruise on a beautiful ship with fun people. Weather was perfect. Never enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. I hope this person's negativity doesn't cause anyone else to question this wonderful cruise. At sea days are heaven!!

 

Lori - it's a pity you didn't know they had bailed - DH & I would have moved into their suite in a heartbeat! OMG after seeing yours & Pats and then Vince & Lins on the cabin crawl I now have to figure out how to work one into our future! But it will HAVE to be on a cruise like this where we have the sea days to really enjoy it!

 

You two made so much noise in your cabin below us that we just had to have a good time too. Hi Lori. Say Hi to Pat. Lin and I are doing the Panama Canal on the Coral in September. I wish we could have a suite again. We do miss Claudio, Doru, David, and Cornel at Sabatini's for breakfast. Travel Monkey is ready to go again, too.

 

We had a great time on this cruise and will be doing it again next year.

 

We haven't written our review yet but you can check out the blog (with photos) we did while aboard at: http://thegeomonkeys.com/category/hawaii-2010/

 

PLEASE write and post the review (you do it so well ;)) so there is something to counter what that idiot wrote!

 

Hope all is well with you and Lin! I sure wish we were heading out on this cruise again! I would do it again in a heartbeat!

[Casshew]

The most unbelievable part of that review was they liked the bed! :D

 

 

"I’ll start with the good things: A) our bed was the best part of the whole trip! VERY comfortable!"

[napunani]

Obviously they didn't take along a good book or two or find the on-board library!

[sha88]

Sounds like they were on some crazy, haunted cruise... Yep, we were one of the younger couples (in our 50s) on a Princess Panama canal cruise last week, but the following statement from the reviewer had us in stitiches.

 

"Please do not take this next statement offensively - with fifty being just months away I’m no spring chicken but my husband and I were among some of the youngest on board. That being said I spoke with 70+ year olds who complained that the everyone on board was “sooooo old”. After thinking about it - it wasn’t the passengers age and limited conditions that made the ship “old” - it was much more than that! I wish I could put it into words - it was like an “energy vacuum” was sucking the life right out of 90% of the passengers 90% of the time - regardless of age! "

[cotomom]

Read the review and couldn't believe they couldn't find something to do/food to like. We are in our early 40's, we love cruising and talking to people of all ages and backgrounds, I have a stressful job, and am counting the minutes until our sea days when we sail on the Golden on the 28th!

 

Alison

 

Hi Alison,

 

We too will be on the Golden on the 28th... and we are in our late 30's. GASP! How will we survive a whole 2 weeks! LOL! :) If you see some young chickens amongst the 'old geezers' (ABSOLUTELY kidding folks!!!!!), please come up and say hello! Perhaps check out the roll call board for this sailing if you haven't already done so!

 

:) Kendra