Golden Princess Review - Hawaiian Islands March 14-28

[mikjr]

Below is my review of our cruise on the Golden. I have kept all my Patters and will be happy to answer questions. I'll eventually get a few photos up also.

 

 

Mike

 

GOLDEN PRINCESS

 

14 Day Hawaiian Cruise – R/T Los Angeles

March 14 to March 28, 2010

 

Captain: Nicolo Binetti

Cruise Director: David Cole

 

Ports of Call: Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Lahaina, and beautiful downtown Ensenada!

 

This was our fifth R/T cruise to Hawaii: one on Celebrity, one on HAL, and three on Princess. We have previously cruised on the Sapphire, Dawn, and Island. This was our first time on the Golden.

 

Pre Cruise Drama:

We are local in Southern California and only about 45 minutes away from the San Pedro port. So on Sunday morning, March 14… we go out to our already packed car and get ready to leave, only to turn the key and hear the dreaded “click, click, click” sound. The battery was dead!! Our options were several, but we opted to call the Auto Club… and within 20 minutes, we were happily on the road. I figured I’d worry about the battery on the morning of March 28. Not to keep you in suspense… it started right up after sitting in the parking lot for two weeks!! We were home by 10 am.

 

Embarkation:

We arrived at the San Pedro port by 11:00 am and were in the waiting lounge by 12 noon. We were one of the first groups to board. The whole process was fast and easy!

 

First Impressions:

This was our first time on the Golden and had heard some great things about the ship, especially since her refurbishment in 2009. We were somewhat familiar with the ship’s layout, having just recently cruised on the Sapphire. We were extremely impressed with the beauty of the interior and really enjoyed the Piazza area and MUTS (more on both later). Although the ship was at capacity, there always seemed to be room to sit or find a place in the sun.

Sea Days:

We love this cruise because of the days at sea. The four days prior to ports gives us a chance to wind down from real life… and then the four days traveling home allows us to relax from all the shopping and site seeing in Hawaii!

 

The sea was a bit rough the first few days out, but nothing like the cruise before us. The crew mentioned the seas were much worse. Our room was towards the front of the ship and it didn’t seem to be that bad. We just took ginger and didn’t have any problems with sea sickness.

 

We were very happy to find that David Cole is still the Cruise Director for the Hawaiian cruises. We cruised on the Island with Dave a few years ago and had one of the best times ever! This cruise was no exception. David and his staff kept the fun flowing. There was always something to do while at sea. David seems to love the Islands and it shows in the Hawaiian themed program he has put together for the passengers.

 

During sea days you could make Hawaiian Leis, learn to Hula or play the Ukulele, or listen to lectures on the history and culture of Hawaii. If that didn’t interest you, the cruise staff always had some kind of fun games going on, and of course there were movies in the Princess Theater or on MUTS. And of course, you could just sit there and VEG!! I don’t think anyone could complain that there was nothing to do on this cruise!!

 

During the first full day at sea (Monday), Cruise Critic members met up in the Skywalker Lounge. It was real nice finally meeting everyone that had chatted for months on the “Roll Call”.

 

Food/Service

We had “Anytime Dining”. I still have mixed feelings about “AD”. I enjoy being able to eat anytime we’d like, especially on port days. But, we always find ourselves eating as early as possible anyway, which was 5:30 pm. What I think I miss the most is having the same servers night after night… they get used to what you want and how you want it.

 

We ate most nights in the Donatella Dining Room (deck 6) and had the same servers most evenings. Angelo was his name, and he was very nice and attentive. We tried the Bernini one evening, but found the service to be better at the Donatella. So, every morning at 8:00 am sharp, I would call the dining room to make reservations for a table for two at the Donatella.

 

We found the food to be exceptionally good on this cruise. With few exceptions, I would say most was very good to excellent. I am not a real demanding eater… I like my food hot… and plenty of it. Both criteria were met on this cruise. Also, I’m not a big red meat eater, so my selections stayed more with fish, chicken, and of course, pasta!

 

Dinner: Some of the exceptional dinner items were the Halibut, breaded chicken breast, and several different fish and pasta dishes. All were very good to excellent. I heard many others say they enjoyed the lobster and steaks. All of the deserts were great, especially the cheesecake and sorbets.

 

Breakfast/Lunch: It was hard for me to stay away from the Trident Grill and Prego Pizza during lunch. But when I did eat in the Horizon Court, I found a good variety and the food to be very good.

 

Every day by the indoor pool they would serve a specialty “buffet food of the day”: Pasta, Curry/India, Sushi/Soups, Fruits/Veggies, and a very nice desert bar! I especially enjoyed the pasta day.

 

We found the International Café to be a real joy. We had some of their food at especially enjoyed the salads and sandwiches. And their deserts were outstanding.

 

We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants this time, although we did hear from others that Sabatini’s, the Steak house, and the Chef’s Table were all outstanding!

 

Entertainment

As a former professional musician and entertainer of 20+ years, I always seem to listen to the music with a bit more critical ear than most. But I have to say, this was the finest array of musicians, singers, and entertainers I’ve seen in a while.

 

The stage shows were very good featuring four singers that actually sang in tune, especially Joe Sackenheim who was a pleasure to watch! It was nice to see and hear “live musicians” used for most of the stage shows.

 

Some of the other stage shows we saw: comedian John Caponera, musician/singer, Duncan Tuck, magician Gaetano, and hypnotist Michelle Van Ree. All were very good.

 

All of the bands around the ship were great: Vitalized in the Explorer and Mosaic in the Wheelhouse. We especially enjoyed the Hawaiian music of Elua (Dave and Leialoha), and the afternoon group in the Piazza, I believe they were called Charad (violin, accordion, guitar, piano, bass).

 

And then there is Ray Cousins… he is just amazing on the grand piano! It was always standing room only in the lounge where he played.

 

This was our first experience with MUTS… we really enjoyed watching movies during the day, and at night (although a bit cold!). We saw several current DVD releases that we had not seen yet. It was very enjoyable… especially when they brought around fresh popcorn, cookies, and PIZZA!!

 

Room/Room Steward

We had initially wanted a balcony, but booked a bit late and settled for an obstructed view on the Emerald deck, but the price was right. The weather was a bit cool to enjoy a balcony, so I guess it was OK.

 

Even though we had an egg crate on our bed, it was still a bit uncomfortable… although I must admit, I didn’t miss a wink of sleep!

 

Our room steward (Borromeo) was like a ghost in the night… we’d leave, the room would be cleaned and ready! We barely saw him, but the room was always well kept.

 

Port Excursions

As mentioned, we’ve taken this cruise several times before and didn’t use the ship’s excursion service.

 

While walking off the ship in Honolulu, we were stopped by ALEX… who provides a tour service on Kauai. So we signed up for a 5 hour site tour with Alex. Several others from the ship also signed up. It was only $45.00 each and we were taken in a very nice passenger bus. I would highly recommend his tour service.

 

We did our own thing in all the other ports.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Hawaii:

This was the first time we’ve taken this cruise in the spring. We’ve usually cruised in the fall. So, the weather was a bit cooler than we’ve been used to when cruising Hawaii. We did have some nice sun days on the ship, but Hawaii itself was overcast and cool, in the 70s in most ports. We’ve been in Lahaina when it’s been 90+ degrees, so the cooler weather was actually nice. It did rain a bit in Hilo and on Kauai. I brought 4 pairs of walking shorts, didn’t wear any of them. Oh well… so much for packing smart! One humorous note... it was 80 degrees on Sunday when we arrived home in LA/OC.

 

Golden Princess:

We had two favorite spots on the ship: the balcony area overlooking the aft pool. The view of the blue water being churned up by the ship’s props was outstanding’ And of course the Piazza… right next to the International Café!

 

We had a nice surprise in our mailbox on the last day of our cruise… we were upgraded from Captain’s Club Gold to Platinum!

 

We would not hesitate to sale again to Hawaii on the Golden, especially with David Cole as the Cruise Director. He is one of the best!

 

This cruise was everything we expected and more. My wife and I had a great time.

 

Thanks Princess!!

[themerle]

Thanks for sharing your review, I really enjoyed it. Congratulations on becoming Platinum...now that's the way to end a cruise!

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review. We are awaiting our turn to enjoy he Golden. Hopefully Ray will be on board in May..

[ASeaPrincess1]

Great review. Thank you, can't wait for my turn!:)

[willyguy]

Thank for the review very nice.

[MTJSR]

Sad to hear you missed the Crown Grill. Both the dinner and pub lunch there are excellent. If you love food, it would have been a real treat. As a former entertainer, did you enjoy Dave and Leialoha (ELUA)?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Glad you had a great time, but then it's Hawaii on Princess! At least you were able to get your battery jumped so you can make it to SP (heard that same click-click last month, but at least we were just going to go shopping, so that was postponable).

 

We were on the Island in 12/05 and I can't wait to do this cruise again.

[andio2of5]

Hey Mike......glad this cruise turned out better than the Mexican Riviera that ended up in San Francisco that we took last year with you :D. We will be boarding the Golden in less than 2 weeks...hope our trip is as good as yours.

Andi

[mikjr]

Sad to hear you missed the Crown Grill. Both the dinner and pub lunch there are excellent. If you love food, it would have been a real treat. As a former entertainer, did you enjoy Dave and Leialoha (ELUA)?

 

Yes... I really enjoyed Dave's UKE class. in our first stop in Hilo we went antiquing... (yes, I know, how many people travel to Hawaii to shop antique stores). I picked up a 1930 Kamaka Pineapple Ukulele for a great price... even though I play the ukulele a bit, it was fun sitting in the classes with Dave. And then the last night, all those in the class played "Tiny Bubbles" at the Princess Pop Star Show. great fun!

 

Dave is a great musician (playing uke, guitar, and Hawaiian guitar), and his wife has a beautiful voice. They really make a great team that was a joy to listen to.

[Raamo]

Thanks for the review - this is a cruise that's on my short list.

[flamomo]

Nice review, Mike.

 

We were also on this sailing, and had a wonderful time. We had the best CC roll call group ever, and had great fun at our daily pre-dinner cocktail gatherings in the Promenade bar. James and Edgar, the bar stewards, were very attentive and also very entertaining! They are especially fun when shaking martinis at tableside .... quite the dancers!

 

Because it was our 3rd time doing this cruise, we didn't do any tours, and had very pleasantly leisurely time in the ports. On Kauai, we rented a car and drove to Poipu for lunch at the Hyatt Regency resort, which was lovely. In Honolulu, we went to the Halekulani Hotel, in Waikiki, for drinks and to watch their evening live music and hula dancing, and watch the sun set.

 

We enjoyed breakfasts in the Horizon Court, but did not care for the lunch buffets there. It was difficult to find anything that had much flavor. Seemed like there were few spices and seasonings added, and a lot of things were quite bland.

However, the food in the traditional dining room was well presented, nicely seasoned, and had generous portions. Our servers .. Luminita and Jayson .. were very good.

We were lucky enought to get to go to the first of the 3 Chef's Table offerings, and it was a great experience. The food was awesome, the service excellent, outstanding presentation, free-flowing wines ......... what else can I say!!

We dined at the Crowne Grill twice, and it also is excellent, and very worth the $25 premium charge.

We thoroughly enjoyed the pub lunches when the menu offered the fish & chips, cottage pie, and ploughman's lunch. We skipped it when they had steak and kidney pie and a couple of other options on the menu!

The food at the International Cafe was very good. I especially enjoyed the chicken salad, the shrimp salad was good too, as was the Greek salad. LOVE those warm, freshly baked cookies every afternoon!

 

It was a wonderful cruise, and I expect we'll be doing it again in a couple of years.

[gertz]

Thanks Mike. We will be on the 4/11 sailing so your review was just in time.

[simbasmom]

As a former professional musician and entertainer of 20+ years, I always seem to listen to the music with a bit more critical ear than most. But I have to say, this was the finest array of musicians, singers, and entertainers I’ve seen in a while.

 

Thanks so very much for that comment. I hope you don't mind that I Emailed that to my son. He's one of the musicians on the Golden's ship's orchestra and will be delighted to hear that they got the positive response.

[Dwhittem]

Mike:

 

Thanks for your review. My DH and I will be on the 4/25 sailing. Really looking forward to this trip, its hubby's retirment gift. I have one question that I saw pop up here lately and of course everyone has a different answer. If you used a CC for your sail n' sign, was a hold placed on the cc for a specific dollar amount at the beginning of the cruise?

[mikjr]

Thanks so very much for that comment. I hope you don't mind that I Emailed that to my son. He's one of the musicians on the Golden's ship's orchestra and will be delighted to hear that they got the positive response.

 

Not at all... please feel free to let him know. I know I always enjoyed hearing positive feedback about my music!

 

what does he play?? I'm a guitar/bass player.

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the great review.

[ASeaPrincess1]

Mike:

 

Thanks for your review. My DH and I will be on the 4/25 sailing. Really looking forward to this trip, its hubby's retirment gift. I have one question that I saw pop up here lately and of course everyone has a different answer. If you used a CC for your sail n' sign, was a hold placed on the cc for a specific dollar amount at the beginning of the cruise?

Not to interrupt, but have you joined our roll call?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=853457

Come on over and introduce yourselves. We have a great group of people getting ready to sail right along with you!:D

[Murrah Miss]

Mike:

 

Thanks for your review. My DH and I will be on the 4/25 sailing. Really looking forward to this trip, its hubby's retirment gift. I have one question that I saw pop up here lately and of course everyone has a different answer. If you used a CC for your sail n' sign, was a hold placed on the cc for a specific dollar amount at the beginning of the cruise?

 

Hello; I'm not Mike, but we were on the same cruise. I've been seeing posts like this for some time,and don't quite understand them. We used a CC for our sail and sign; we didn't see any kind of hold on our cards. Maybe a TA can more suitably answser the question.

[kath00]

We just got off the Mariner of the Seas (on the same day as you) and it was such a pleasure to see the Golden docked right next to us! I always wanted to see that ship and there she was... DH said, "where does that ship go?" and I said, "HAWAII -- wanna get on??!!!!" :D:D:D

 

We wish we could have ship hopped and gone on another vacation! 7 days is just not enough.

 

We'll be on the Sapphire in December. If we like her, we will probably do the Hawaii cruise too next year.

 

Katherine

 

[grandmaa]

Thanks for the great revue of your Hawaii cruise. It brings back wonderful memories of our

cruise to the Hawaiian Islands. We usually go to Hawaii for land vacations in spring or early fall..never had been there in February..but my DH wanted to go and see the whales in their Maui playground. The cruise fit the bill..and was fantastic. You mentioned Ray Cousins..was he the piano player in the Promenade Bar? We had Ron Merritt..who was fabulous. It was his last cruise and the "regulars" at the venue presented him with a cake and a bottle of

champagne. There were several passengers who knew it was his last cruise (before retirement) and were on this cruise. It made for entertaining evenings and new friendships.

How lucky we are to be able to cruise! The Golden is one of our favorite ships.

[mikjr]

Hello; I'm not Mike, but we were on the same cruise. I've been seeing posts like this for some time,and don't quite understand them. We used a CC for our sail and sign; we didn't see any kind of hold on our cards. Maybe a TA can more suitably answser the question.

 

Holland America I believe places a daily hold on funds. I have heard complaints about that before. we were on a 30 day HAL to Tahiti two years ago and I heard several complaints that they had placed a large hold on their CC. I don't believe Princess does that.

[simbasmom]

Not at all... please feel free to let him know. I know I always enjoyed hearing positive feedback about my music!

 

what does he play?? I'm a guitar/bass player.

He's one of the trumpet players in the ship's orchestra.

Did you have some juice on the cruise, I think it's called Hawaiin Star, with pineapple in it? Heard it's excellent.

 

And they've started a new show "Stardust". How is it, honestly? They were wondering how the passengers liked it.

[mikjr]

He's one of the trumpet players in the ship's orchestra.

Did you have some juice on the cruise, I think it's called Hawaiin Star, with pineapple in it? Heard it's excellent.

 

And they've started a new show "Stardust". How is it, honestly? They were wondering how the passengers liked it.

 

If it's the one i'm thinking of with all of the "standard" tunes, it was great! We had stopped going to the shows because we saw the same ones over and over... I think we saw the Piano Man about 5 times on various cruise lines.

 

I had a trumpet player in my band for 15 years... and I can say the Golden Princess has a very good horn section!

[Paradisefound619]

I truly enjoyed this review of the Golden. I will be sailing to Alaska in August and your review was nicely laid out so I could read only the part about the Golden. I do hope to go to Hawaii someday but it was nice to skim that section since I will not be traveling there.

 

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise!

[Cruizer Bill]

Was it warm enough to sit by the pool during the sea days? I was on the Golden 2 years ago on a Mexico cruise and it was so cold we had to wrap ourselves with towels near the pool. Hope you fared better! The Golden looks so great after the refurbishment!!

Thanks for the review!

Bill :)