Golden -your experiences

[NSWP]

We were on Golden Princess in March last year for a month, Buenos Aires to Los Angeles, she was in very good condition then. I like the Grand Class ships, been on Emerald, Star, Ruby, Crown, Golden, Diamond, to name but a few. My favourite Princess ship is Coral, additional aft open decks.

Edited January 11, 2015 by NSWP

[wishfulone]

Must be time to pass her onto to Australia :rolleyes:

 

(she's here for the '15 summer season and we're booked)

 

Just got off the Golden and Australian's who've sailed Celebrity or Royal Cab will be disappointed in the Golden Princess unless they clean her up big time. New sheets and towels would THE priority I would think. Definitely sheets.

[shredie]

I've been on the Golden four times, and I never had a problem with sheets or towels. I was on her to South America just this month. The issues some people are raising are not serious problems, IMO.

[Brisbane41]

Just got off the Golden and Australian's who've sailed Celebrity or Royal Cab will be disappointed in the Golden Princess unless they clean her up big time. New sheets and towels would THE priority I would think. Definitely sheets.

 

I am Australian. I have been on Celebrity Solstice, I have been on Radiance of the Seas and I have also been on Golden Princess.

 

I was extremely satisfied with Golden Princess and felt it was about the same level as Celebrity Solstice. The Golden Princess was an outstanding ship and I had a fantastic time on it and am booked to go on it again this year on a 10 night Alaska cruise and the 28 night repositioning cruise to Australia. Now I certainly would not be booking to go on that ship again if I thought it were in poor condition.

 

For the record when I was on Celebrity Solstice the Martini Bar was broken down and the stainless steel counter did not ice up as it was supposed to. Perhaps I should have been disappointed with Celebrity?

 

For the record I love to fly business class, I always keep up my Qantas Club membership for access to the lounge when I fly and I always stay at 5 star hotels for the cleanliness and comfort, so I cant fathom to understand why you would say it needs a big clean up because I personally could not fault it and it is still just within the last year that I was on the ship for 31 nights which was ample time for any problems to surface.

[wishfulone]

I am Australian. I have been on Celebrity Solstice, I have been on Radiance of the Seas and I have also been on Golden Princess.

 

I was extremely satisfied with Golden Princess and felt it was about the same level as Celebrity Solstice. The Golden Princess was an outstanding ship and I had a fantastic time on it and am booked to go on it again this year on a 10 night Alaska cruise and the 28 night repositioning cruise to Australia. Now I certainly would not be booking to go on that ship again if I thought it were in poor condition.

 

For the record when I was on Celebrity Solstice the Martini Bar was broken down and the stainless steel counter did not ice up as it was supposed to. Perhaps I should have been disappointed with Celebrity?

 

For the record I love to fly business class, I always keep up my Qantas Club membership for access to the lounge when I fly and I always stay at 5 star hotels for the cleanliness and comfort, so I cant fathom to understand why you would say it needs a big clean up because I personally could not fault it and it is still just within the last year that I was on the ship for 31 nights which was ample time for any problems to surface.

 

You must have been on a different cruise to us or in a much fancier cabin than our mini suite with balcony because our sheets had holes and dreadful stains! It was the same every time they were changed.

 

As for the general condition of the ship? The public areas are still grand but dated, and the cabin bathrooms badly need a make over. The dining room crew are generally great but our cabin steward was flustered and couldn't cope with his workload.

[Brisbane41]

You must have been on a different cruise to us or in a much fancier cabin than our mini suite with balcony because our sheets had holes and dreadful stains! It was the same every time they were changed.

 

As for the general condition of the ship? The public areas are still grand but dated, and the cabin bathrooms badly need a make over. The dining room crew are generally great but our cabin steward was flustered and couldn't cope with his workload.

 

I just had a standard inside on "A" deck. The cabin was clean and tidy with no faults. Carpet and bedding were fine.

 

I did not find the ship dated at all. It has recently had a major refit and I was on the ship in 2014 around South America for 31 nights. In all honesty here it had the same feel as the Diamond Princess which I was on in September last year.

 

I found the ship very comfortable. I could not fault it and was very happy with my cruise on it. It was exciting, fun and one of the best experiences I have had.

 

When I was on Celebrity Solstice in 2013 I had a standard balcony cabin on deck "6" I believe which overlooked the lifeboats. The main benefit of the cabin on Solstice was the bathroom had better panelling and did not have a shower curtain and instead had a wonderfully designed compact shower door.

 

Then again Celebrity is billed as a "premium line" and Princess is billed as "mass market".

 

I am glad the Golden Princess is coming to Australia and I hope to do more cruises on it. I liked it just as much as Celebrity Solstice.

[satxdiver]

We were on the Golden last October and again last month. Both times we had a balcony room on the Caribe deck. The sheets were clean and certainly not torn or have holes. The cabin was clean as was the rest of the ship so no complaints there. I did notice that when we were in port, the crew was busy painting and cleaning. The HC serving line strictly enforced in one end and out the other. I really wish Princess would do something about the congestion. The Star was retrofitted a bit to help alleviate the problem. The Royal/Regal configuration of the HC is heaven compared to the other ships in the fleet and to RCI voyager class ships configuration.

[carqueen1]

The Golden was my first Princess cruise......I almost didn't go back. It was awful, worn down and I thought the food was horrid. I couldnt wait to get off the ship to get something to eat! (The exception here being the fruit!!) I have been on 16 cruises and this was my least favorite.......Sorry, just my opinion......Have sailed princess 5 times since and had no issues.

[Brisbane41]

The Golden was my first Princess cruise......I almost didn't go back. It was awful, worn down and I thought the food was horrid. I couldnt wait to get off the ship to get something to eat! (The exception here being the fruit!!) I have been on 16 cruises and this was my least favorite.......Sorry, just my opinion......Have sailed princess 5 times since and had no issues.

 

So it was your first Princess cruise which almost caused you to never go back. Since that day you have done 5 more Princess cruises....... Most interesting...... I think the facts speak for themselves. If it was that bad why would you have gone back to Princess. Most interesting....

[carqueen1]

So it was your first Princess cruise which almost caused you to never go back. Since that day you have done 5 more Princess cruises....... Most interesting...... I think the facts speak for themselves. If it was that bad why would you have gone back to Princess. Most interesting....

 

Because I was already a Sitmar cruiser many times prior and almost had an Platinum status...

[Merlinite]

The Golden was my first Princess cruise......I almost didn't go back. It was awful, worn down and I thought the food was horrid. I couldnt wait to get off the ship to get something to eat! (The exception here being the fruit!!) I have been on 16 cruises and this was my least favorite.......Sorry, just my opinion......Have sailed princess 5 times since and had no issues.

 

We are just off the Golden Princess, 14 days Cape Horn. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ship, the food or, of course, the fruit. Crew are great. Anytime dining easy and very good. 50th anny stuff great fun!

 

FYI she's heading for a 14 day dry dock in San Francisco next month.

 

so there!

[Brisbane41]

We are just off the Golden Princess, 14 days Cape Horn. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ship, the food or, of course, the fruit. Crew are great. Anytime dining easy and very good. 50th anny stuff great fun!

 

FYI she's heading for a 14 day dry dock in San Francisco next month.

 

so there!

 

I was on the same one last year except for the full 31 nights. Outstanding ship in my opinion.

 

Most interesting isn't it that they saw fit to return to Princess despite it being so terrible. Most interesting indeed. I think the facts speak for themselves.

 

The cruise was terrible but I am going back....lol

[aquiltercat]

We booked a very last minute 16 day cruise leaving 12/3 on the Golden. Have cruised a lot but not Princess for 30 years. The reviews of Golden make you want to bring own sheets and towels and 409.

What is your experience? We are in a mini suite.

First sailed on Golden in her inaugural(sp) year, 9/11/2001 & the crew was cleaning & patching daily; sailed 6/2012 & ship was still pretty & shiny. Sailed 2011 to Hawaii & poor lady she was showing wear & tear. Now going to AK 7/31/2015 & looking forward to seeing her all prettied up again. To me it is a perfect size & handles the oceans nicely. This will be our 33rd cruise & 26th on Princess.

Remember Princess is a mid-price range line & you have to not expect the same quality as you would have on Oceania, for example. Still, you notice we keep coming back...

[aquiltercat]

That should have bee 2002, not 2012. Getting late, better go to bed!

[crochetcruise]

For what it's worth.....I just heard through my Roll Call that the Golden will be going through dry dock April 16th through May 2nd. Cool since I will be boarding her June 1st.:)

 

Just so they don't muck up the design as so many cruise lines have done with their ships.

 

Yes, my original choice of cruise and the 1 after mine were both cancelled! Oh well, I've actually got a better deal-an extra night aboard; a price reduction of AUD$35 and Princess Cruises gave me AUD$55 for my "inconvenience" over the cancelled cruise! I do have to wait almost an extra 7 months to come aboard, but it's in my Spring not Fall season so the weather should be really nice and more time to thoroughly explore and document photographically my experiences on board.

 

Crochetcruise :cool: