Golden Princess Review 8/10/05 - British Isles

[wblevin]

Awesome trip. There were eight of us traveling together – four adults and four kids ranging in age from 6 to 18. My brother and his family came from Las Vegas and we left from New York. Will give a brief overview of everything that we did for all for future reference – I highly recommend the four tour guides used in London, Ireland, and Scotland. This was our 33rd cruise and 8th or 9th Princess cruise.

 

We flew into Heathrow from JFK arriving Saturday morning. Brother arrived on Sunday into Gatwick. Booked cars to pick us up at the airports through Woodford Chauffer Cars – Driver Ron was a delight - so English proper – he was perfect for our group. The “van” was very nice and roomy with two sets of back seats facing each other. Thanks to Cheryl (cheryl@bcfinch.freeserve.co.uk) for getting everything booked from airport pickups to dropoff at hotels and pickup at hotels to dock in Southampton.

 

Even though we had the whole day on Saturday, it was pretty much wasted by family sleeping too long. Stayed at the Marriott Grosvener House and were very lucky they had one room available early morning for us to crash for several hours. Thank goodness we went ahead of time – gave us a few days to adjust to the time difference and prepare for a week full of history and touring.

 

Sunday – spent some time in the British Museum, stopped in at Selfridge’s. Tried to get into Westminster Abbey – unfortunately, they are closed on Sundays. Just walked around Parliament and took a river boat cruise up the Thames.

 

Monday - Buckingham Palace now does some tours! We got tickets through the hotel concierge and spent a good deal of the day on Monday doing a tour of the Mews and the Palace. Then went over to the Tower of London and spent the rest of the afternoon touring there. Not even time to get to the dungeon after that. I attempted to get us to Bath and Stonehenge for Tuesday to no avail – thought maybe the recent bombings would have cut down on London tourists – definitely not – or maybe the tourists were leaving London for the countryside – who knows, but absolutely nothing available unless we wanted to rent a car and driver for the day for about $1400 – I don’t think so!

 

Tuesday – Spent several hours in the London dungeon. We had been there about 10 years ago and went back this visit for the kids – very different now, much more commercialized – the kids loved it. From there, we went to Westminster Abbey for the tour and did the Jack the Ripper walking tour in the evening – an excellent tour, but way too many people – think there were about 150 in our group all trying to gather around to hear the speaker amidst the traffic in the City. Definitely recommended for all though.

 

Wednesday Ron was there about 10am to pick us up for our journey to the ship. Awful accident slowed progress, but thanks to the GPS in the car, Ron was able to bypass a great deal of the traffic to get us to the pier between 11:30 and noon. He brought a little U-haul like trailer to store the luggage – worked perfectly for two weeks worth of cruise luggage – 7 suitcases, two computers, and all the carry on luggage.

 

Check in was a breeze – we were on the ship in less than 20 minutes (we are platinum Members, but both lines seemed to move quickly). Not sure if there were longer lines later when the cruise buses made it through the accident traffic. Luggage was in the room before we got back from lunch! First thing I did was laundry. Each floor has a Laundromat with at least two washers and two dryers. Change machine spits out quarters for American bills - $1 for detergent, $1 for fairly large capacity washer and $1 for 45 minutes of drying (actually needed to run dryer twice though) – nice convenience for a two week vacation – also used mid trip to wash some of the wet clothing from drenching tours – lol.

 

This was our second time on board the Golden Princess. First was a Caribbean cruise in 2003. We were in cabin C701 – great cabin with an extra large balcony, much preferred. IMO, to the mini suite we had last time around with a balcony that had no privacy whatsoever. Cabin steward, Oscar, was accommodating in getting me two lounge chairs and an extra large ice bucket for the refrigerator. Unfortunately, the weather was really too cool and too rainy to spend a lot of time on the balcony. We did however, leave the door open every evening to hear the sound of the rain and surf – don’t get that opportunity too often – it was nice.

 

We felt the food on the ship was only soso. Some things better than others. Ordered a spinach salad one night that had no spinach in it! The chef happened to come around that evening and we pointed this out to him – he did manage to find one piece of spinach in one of the 6 spinach salads at the table – lol. The food seemed to get a bit better as the week went on, but nothing outstanding. Bananas foster was on the menu one evening and there was Baked Alaska the last evening. We opted several nights for the Horizon Court food as we were exhausted from tours – in general, the food there was as good as the dining room food. The Pizza was a huge favorite for all of us throughout the week – better than on other Princess ships.

 

The cruise staff was exceptional IMO. The CC party was way too late in the cruise, but Richard Joseph did a really exceptional job with most of the cruise staff there to socialize with the group of us and serving mimosas, Champaign, bar service and hot hors deuvres in the back portion of the Wheelhouse Bar. We love trivia and they ran lots of trivia throughout the cruise – and the sessions were always packed – tough competition – love it!

 

Ship is definitely showing signs of wear. Carpeting in cabin was pilled, mold coming up in the bathroom caulking, and awful beds & pillows – this was very strange. We noted that the mattresses were lumpy and soft – absolutely the worst in any ship we have been on. Pillows were flat – I asked for some feather pillows and they brought in a couple more slightly less flat pillows. Mid cruise, we mentioned to my brother – who also had awful mattresses – in fact he said unless Princess changes their mattresses more often, he won’t be sailing them again! Then, last day of the cruise we get the normal cruise questionnaire and a separate sheet of paper questionnaire about the beds/mattresses – interesting – definitely a first! I questioned several other passengers about the survey and many agreed the mattresses were awful – two couples I talked to had complained during the cruise and were given different mattresses!! Still don’t know what the whole story is.

 

Dublin, Ireland – I had booked a private tour with Jimmy@DublinTaxiTours.net €320 Euros 9:30 am pick up. Ned met us at the dock for the most delightful day of touring outside and inside Dublin. We started out seeing Bono’s (from U2) house (what we could see of it – totally thrilled my sister in law) then went to Powerscourt Estate and Gardens, driving through Wicklow Hills, and then to the Glendalough ruins. Then back to Dublin for a stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kell, then a tour of the Guinness Brewery and then a tour of the City. Ned was just wonderful – even did a bit of an Irish jig for us. Our tour ended much later than expected (after 7), so we were shot and didn’t even get to do any pubbing. I would highly recommend Ned and Dublin Taxi Tours for any tour of the Dublin area – he was charming and everything-plus-more than I expected of a native Irishman.

 

Holyhead, Wales - It was pouring rain when we got off our tender and a good deal of the day. We visited Caernafron Castle, Conwy castle and the restored medieval village – wish we had had more time here - the town was charming and there was a small festival of sorts going on down by the water. From here we drove through Snowdonia National Park to charming Bets-y-Coed village, and then heading back, we stopped at Llanfair PG the town with the longest name in the world.

 

Belfast, Ireland – I found John Collins (JohnCollins511@hotmail.com) on the CC boards and, although he was booked for the day, he had a friend that was able to take us around Northern Ireland for the Day. We met both John and Philip (philipbell34@msn.com) on the docks and had a wonderful day touring with Phillip. He was personable and kept us paying attention to his thick Irish Brogue and we got to tour a huge amount of the upper countryside. We started out visiting the shipyard where the Titanic was built and then headed out to the Bushmill Distillery for a tour – unfortunately when we arrived, they were not yet open so we did a side trip to nearby Dunluce ruins – a breathtaking sight of the ocean and cliffs. Then back to the Distillery, which because it was Sunday was shut down, however, did offer a nice tour – my sister-in-law was even picked for a taste testing survey! From there we went to Giants Causeway. There was quite a line to take the bus down, so we opted to walk down. It is quite impressive but because of the long line, we took turns standing in the bus line to return to the top of the hill – believe there was about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hour wait for the bus to shuttle people back up the hill at a cost of 80 pence each. In retrospect, timewise, we would have done much better going to the Causeway first and trying to beat the cruise/vacation crowds and then touring the Distillery. As it was, we were getting a bit panicked about the two hour drive back to the ship while waiting for the buses. It turned out we did have enough time coming back via the Antrim Coast but unfortunately we did miss the hanging bridge. Once back in Belfast, we were more comfortable with the time so we were able to drive through city and see some of the murals. Anyway, Phillip was a great guide and we truly enjoyed our day.

 

 

Greenock, Scotland - What a whirlwind of a day! I hired Great Scott Tours http://www.greatscot-tours.com for the day. Our driver, David, was absolutely wonderful – I am sure he thought we were totally crazy Americans though as one thing my husband HAD to do was tour a Costco in Scotland and see if they sold haggis. It was low priority for me so we had a lovely scenic tour first driving through the Trossachs to Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine and the adorable town of Luss. We stopped at a woolen mill where the kids were able to hold some birds of prey and we got to see an abbreviated show of the sheep dog herding ducks. From there, David stopped at a little restaurant where we all got to meet Hamish, the Highland Cow. The kids had a great time being slobbered on while feeding him fresh vegetables from the restaurant. We stopped for a view of Dounne Castle to see the castle used in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie and then it was time - David took us all to Costco in Glasgow – OMG my brother and husband were thrilled as they both spend huge amounts of time there in the states and have made it a mission to visit ones wherever they tour – lol – total nut cases IMO. Back to the ship – three of us had time for a quick dinner onboard and then out to catch the Princess tour of the Military Tattoo. We were lucky enough to get tickets (waitlisted) for the show – guess the ship’s warning of no potty stops, no bathroom on the bus, long ride, possible lousy weather with no umbrellas allowed, long waits and a lot of walking scared a lot of people off. Maybe we just got lucky, we ended up on the handicap bus, but it was nowhere near as awful as Princess made it sound. It took us about 1-1/2 hours to get to Edinburgh. We stopped for a potty break at a nearby mall (and there actually was a potty on the bus!) There were also porta pottys at the Tattoo. Probably because we were on the handicap bus, they drove us right by all the crowds on the Royal Mile waiting to get in and dropped us off right in the center of the esplanade – we were shocked – no lines, no waiting. The seats were in an excellent location - about 5th row back right in the center, however, they were very very tight – you actually did feel like a sardine, but the weather was clear and the show was fabulous and I highly recommend for everyone. Afterwards, the bus came right up into the center of the esplanade again and picked us up – there was enough time for all to do a potty break again if needed and the ride back was quicker with less traffic and uneventful. We were back on board the ship about 12:30ish I believe – a long, but fabulous day in Scotland.

 

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands – Here we decided to brave driving on our own. We rented a 12 passenger van for about £65 for the day. My husband didn’t have too much trouble working the manual shift – lol. The roads were super narrow but fairly empty and easy to maneuver around the countryside. We pretty much stayed ahead of the tour buses and got to the Rings of Brodgar. Skara Brae and the countryside is gorgeous. Weather again was rather iffy and we returned the van about 2ish and walked down through some of the little shops close by the ship.

 

South Queensferry/Edinburgh, Scotland: Kinda toured out by the end of the trip. When we looked up at the bridge and where we would have to walk to get the train, decided it really wasn’t worth it for our large group. We hired a van right by the pier for £30 to take us the ½ hour or so to Edinburgh Castle – also took his phone number to call for the return trip later in the day. We spent several hours touring Edinburgh Castle. From there we walked down the Royal Mile. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival was in full swing and there were numerous artists, magicians, puppeteers and side shows along the way. What a shame that the ship wasn’t there for the evening when most things seemed to be going on! Stopped in St. Giles Cathedral and shopped our way down the hill. By the time we hit the Holyrood Palace, our group was done and we called it quits. A town I would definitely like to visit again in the future.

 

Debarkation on Saturday was a breeze. Carts were provided to get our luggage out of the terminal and Ron was waiting for us for our last day of touring in the U.K. The first stop was Winchester Cathedral where we were hoping to see a copy of the Magna Carta – which my husband and I had viewed about 10 years previously but couldn’t remember exactly where. We had planned on heading to Salisbury (next choice for the Magna Carta) but then opted for Stonehenge and then Windsor Castle and finally Runny Meade to view the memorial of the Magna Carta and the JFK Memorial. We got through all of that and still got to Heathrow by 4pm – Amazing!

 

Sorry this got so long, but wanted to put as much down for future cruisers as possible. Any questions, please feel free to email me directly.

[Coral]

Excellent review! Thank you so much for all the details!

[taterules]

Did the Costco have haggis? Don't keep us hanging.

[lolane1]

Just returned from her repositioning cruise and can't agree more with the awful matresses and pillows. My matress also had some sort of plastic toggles in place all over the matress so it was a double whammy. Will not recommend the Golden until they change this. Dining room service was also rushed and disorganized. This being said, the ship was beautiful, the minisuite wonderful (minus the bed and pillows), it was constantly being cleaned, room steward was fantastic, the food good, (all beef meals except one had melt in your mouth beef) and, all in all, a good experience. The massage therapist said that back and neck aches from the bedding were a frequent complaint. So, the ship is 4 years old and it's time to change the bedding.

[Coral]

I am really amazed at the number of reviews this past summer on the mattresses and pillows - they must be pretty bad because they seem to be in everyones' reviews.

 

I am sailing next month. I have a minisuite and supposedly they are receiving new mattresses - I will report back and let everyone know.

[keep on cruising]

We plan on taking this cruise next year on the Golden so we really appreciate all the great information.

[Coolmama_1]

Thank you for the excellent review. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Seeing the Tattoo is on my list!

[samoyed]

I found your review interesting. I agree the Tattoo was excellent. I understand that all waitlisted passengers received Tattoo tickets since so many passengers cancelled due to the obnoxious letter princess sent to passengers pre-booked on this excursion.

 

We booked the August 10 Golden Princess cruise SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE it offered the Edinburgh Military Tattoo as an excursion. The excursion as advertised, would require a substantial level of activity. No problem. We’re both very healthy 50ish people who get a lot of exercise. The Tattoo excursion is very popular and was sold out with many people on the waiting list. At the beginning of the cruise we received a bizarre letter that there would NOT be any stops to go to the bathroom and there would NOT be a toilet on the bus. My wife needs to go to the bathroom every few hours (I generally like to also). The letter made absolutely no sense to me and I refused to cancel as encouraged. My wife on the other hand even after talking to Princess staff, up to the cancellation deadline, did cancel out of concern of not being allowed to go to the bathroom. Like my wife, many other passengers also took Princess at their word, and canceled. The bus ride into Edinburgh was to be 2 ½ hours each way, and the letter only offered the use of very limited facilities at the Tattoo.

 

When I was boarded the K17 excursion bus without my wife, the first thing the guide said was that there WOULD be a toilet stop before Edinburgh. When I stated that I was repeatedly ENSURED there would NOT be ANY toilet stops, the guide said I should look at it as a bonus. I said it was not a bonus to those that were coerced into canceling the excursion. The guide said that Princess had contacted them and requested the toilet stops. Some passengers on the bus said that they were told PRIOR to the cancellation deadline that the toilet stop would be added.

 

I never received a reasonable explanation of why passengers were told different things. My initial theory was to use “blue” cardholders to free up space for “gold” and “platinum” cardholders. When I inquired at the excursion department I was told that all passengers were told the same thing, which was that the bus would stop if time allowed. This was totally untrue. Firstly, I know that Princess told some passengers that the tour operator was told to provide a toilet stop. Secondly, my wife and I were told absolutely NO toilet stops and NO toilet on the bus. Yes, there was even a toilet on the bus but it was not needed.

 

This excursion was a once in a lifetime opportunity and was to be the highlight of our cruise. I think what upset me most was the arrogant, unapologetic, confrontational attitude of the excursion department on why people were told different stories. My wife missed a chance of a lifetime. Throughout this incident the excursion department exhibited total incompetence and mendacity.

 

More on the excursion department and tour desk… Although I booked five excursions through Princess, we also like to do some exploring our own. On previous non-Princess cruises I could always obtain a quality map from the desk at the ship. The Princess website maps and the maps provided on the first day were too general, way off-scale, missing entire streets, and missing street names. Take the Dublin map for example. Try using that map to walk from St Patrick’s Cathedral to Grafton Street. When you inquire at the tour desk, after waiting in a long miserable line, you are given a degraded copy, of a copy, of a copy, of what at one time, was a decent accurate street map. Additionally, after I was in Dublin, I realize that when copied, my map had St. Patrick’s Cathedral and points west chopped off. When you stay in a hotel in any European city you can obtain a decent street map from the Hotel. Princess should do the same. The cost is usually defrayed by the ads from stores and restaurants. I would have been willing to even pay you a couple of dollars for a REAL street or walking map. The copy of the maps for the Edinburgh Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Castle, from the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide were of better quality – not bad for a black and white copy. They were also a copyright violation unless Princess obtained prior permission before making all those copies.

 

There were some good things about the Princess staff. The dining room staff, spa staff, and cabin steward were superb. My August 10 Golden Princess cruise was a disappointment however, mostly due to Tour department and desk.

[wblevin]

bump

[spongerob]

I never received a reasonable explanation of why passengers were told different things. My initial theory was to use “blue” cardholders to free up space for “gold” and “platinum” cardholders. When I inquired at the excursion department I was told that all passengers were told the same thing, which was that the bus would stop if time allowed. This was totally untrue. Firstly, I know that Princess told some passengers that the tour operator was told to provide a toilet stop. Secondly, my wife and I were told absolutely NO toilet stops and NO toilet on the bus. Yes, there was even a toilet on the bus but it was not needed.

I hate to disagree, but we were among the "platinums" and received exactly the same notice you did. I agree, though, the tour desk really did drop the ball on this one and should have taken a more proactive approach to solving the problem. I know many people cancelled the tour upon receiving the letter about potty breaks. How hard would it have been to add an hour to the schedule and make sure that a rest stop could be included?

[bburns]

Did they replace the mattress's and pillows on the Golden?

[Fabulous2B50]

We sail on her June 3 from Rome and I hope the mattressess and pillows are new since you all cruised. Anyone know?