So what did you think of the Golden Princess?

[Esilef]

Just so we can keep our thoughts in the one place.

 

What did you think of the Golden Princess?

[Esilef]

My son aged 6 (with autism) and myself aged well near enough to 40. Travelled on the 2 night Sydney to melbourne cruise.

 

Embarkment at the opt in Sydney was very easy I'm part to Benjo's previous advice to let them know about my sons autism.

 

They rushed us through all queues saving the need for my son to melt down due to the amount of people. Security were very good with him also.

 

The ship the golden princess is spectacular. She was nose towards circular quay. Our starboard cabin faced the dock.

 

Once on board she really impressed. Well maintained and just beautiful. Cigar bar feel in places.

 

Food in the horizon court is very good. A step up from royal Caribbean.

 

We had cabin c739 on the Carribe deck 10. It had the extended balcony. So others above looked into half our balcony and we looked into the whole balcony on the floor below.

 

Great room and huge balcony. If I went on the golden again I would want deck 10 for the extended balcony.

 

There is a lot of pools on this ship. One is fully covered, one in the spa area, one in the middle of the ship, a baby pool (not in use) plus the one at the very back if the ship under the shopping trolley part. Plus lots of spas.

 

There is a very impressive sanctuary at the top level above the spa for adults only. It's loverly. Plus a hidden golf area. Loved these little hidden hiddy spots.

 

There is heaps of bars which are in aud and reasonable priced drinks. We had the soda and soda and mock tail cards. Well worth it.

 

Overall it think she is a brilliant ship and will win many fans in Australia.

 

Would I go on her again. Yes for sure

[Esilef]

Oh William found that next to the kiddy pool they had 3 wheeled trikes for kids to scoot around on. He's had a blast riding all over the ship.

 

The toilets at the kiddy pool are designed for kids. So they have the toilet training baby seat as well as the adults seat.

 

Just little things which make a difference to people with little kids

[Kinkacruiser]

Thanks for posting, Esilef. I'm sure many of us will be sampling the Golden over the next few years (self included ).

Edited October 29, 2015 by Kinkacruiser

[clairebearinaus]

Loved it. LOVED IT! I can't even process it all yet but will be back with more later. Tired too, after getting up early for the golden curtains. Very impressed that you started posting while we were still out there Esilef!

[Esilef]

Loved it. LOVED IT! I can't even process it all yet but will be back with more later. Tired too, after getting up early for the golden curtains. Very impressed that you started posting while we were still out there Esilef!

 

 

Me & my iPhone will never be seperate do. No wifi and I cry.......and no I'm 40 not 16.

[Brisbanelionsfan]

I was on the cruise from SF to Sydney and loved the Golden. Our cabin also on C deck was in a perfect location and the extended balcony is fantastic. I want that position for every cruise! Our cabin steward was very good and every thing we asked for was delivered very quickly and with a smile.

We had anytime dining and couldn't fault it. We always wanted a table for six and only twice we had to wait about 5 minutes for one to become available.

Dining room food was good to excellent and we thought Horizon buffet was a big improvement on the Sea Princess. Waiters in both locations were fantastic.

We probably tried all the bars and thought the bar staff were excellent. Drink prices were in US dollars so a little expensive. Not to worry now they are in A$.

I loved the uncovered pool area and every morning sat and read a book and watched the morning movie. Very relaxing.

The only thing we thought needed some improvement was the entertainment. The singers and dancers although quite good, must have been having a holiday as well, with 5 big shows in 28 days. The rest of the time we had guest entertainers who ranged from very good to quite poor.

The CD Tim Donovan was mediocre but his staff were at least enthusiastic

and quite good fun.

We found the ship to be in excellent condition and very clean and would book again anytime.:D

 

Cheers

[OzKiwiJJ]

Can you remember what the USD drinks prices were, Brisbanelionsfan? Cocktails, wine by the glass, beers, water, espresso? I heard a rumour that the prices had increased so most of the current US price posts maybe out of date. We're doing Sydney to Hong Kong on Golden next April and onboard prices will be in USD.

Edited October 30, 2015 by OzKiwiJJ

[jinxyoz]

Just got off today after the two day Sydney to Melbourne. My thoughts.

 

Cabin: had an inside on Baja (first time I've ever had an inside on any cruise). Quite spacious, clean but the overall feel was a bit dated.

 

Ship: in pretty good condition. Had more of an older feel to it unlike RCI and NCL who I've cruised with previously. Felt the lighting was a bit too dark. Lounges etc all really comfortable and plenty of spaces to sit.

 

Shops: mediocre. A couple of jewelry, one souvenir/clothes/ and perfume. Prices were surprisingly cheap considering our dollar to the US at the moment.

 

Entertainment: I personally thought the shows were average. Average singers and dancers and certainly caters to an older crowd. Lounge singers were shocking. Out of tune and all old material.

Cruise director is rude and arrogant (as I discovered while standing and chatting to him having a cigarette)

 

Lifts: a major problem. Slow, too many people and took a while to realize which ones only go to certain decks.

 

Food: generally very good. The restaurants and staff were of a good standard. Drink prices were fine.

 

Overall we enjoyed it (6 of us ) however I find many Australian cruisers to be an absolute disgrace with manners and decorum (walking around barefoot with a beer in hand, dripping water in lifts with only a towel covering what should be covered!!!)

 

I personally think the ship itself and what it offers is great for an older clientele. Our group ranged in age from 14 to 60 so can see good and not so good from all angles.

[The_Big_M]

Looks like there's going to be a range of views here!

 

Found the sampler quite busy, and didn't find/make time to see everything. But all round, it was generally well done. The size of the ship gave a lot to see, but not with so many activities as RCL. The size of the ship was apparent, with more spread out than Voyager class. She felt the largest of the local ships.

 

The nightclub was impressive. Even better, it's the first Princess cruise where it's been well used! If only more were like that.

 

Had an oceanview cabin but it was brilliant. Loved the walk in robe design, and similarly that it partitioned off the bathroom. Much better than other designs.

 

The brief exposure I had to the CD Tim was very positive - he's a lot funnier than many other CDs I've had. But I could also see that extending to arrogance as per above comment so I'll reserve judgement there, but positive in the short exposure we had. She has a much better activities staff than RCL or Celebrity, with 9 people on team! They're also a good crew.

 

Also it was nice to see a good range of recent movies also included, better than RCL/Celebrity. To give an idea, Jurassic world, Ant man and Mad Max Fury played over the 2 days.

 

Shops... their manager/host was a bit of a scammer. Nuff said there. But rest of staff were fine. The range was comparable to the Sun sisters though (not the same, but similar overall). As for price, it seemed higher, I suspect because it had been re-priced from the US, whereas the sisters are permanently based/priced here. They seemed to change their pricing from previous sailings - higher base price, but more promo opportunity if you buy multiples i.e. worse off for individual purchases.

 

Entertainment, only two nights, but what was seen was enjoyable with good dancers and entertainers. Noticed that their theatre is relatively small, and given the large size of the ship they actually run 3 performances of the main show to cater for all! But their scheduling is good, and you can see all 3 shows they had on the second evening, so well done to CD for that too. And given that spread, there isn't an overcrowding problem, which you get on Celebrity and RCL.

 

Food... average overall. The buffet was a bit limited , and not so well laid out nor operated. But this was balanced by the much greater range of eateries throughout and their range elsewhere. Anytime dining was pretty poor though, with a half hour wait on night 2, a mess with how those waiting were handled, and then the waiters co-ordinated the separate tables so delivery was dragged out. Took about hour and a half to reach main.

[jasmith52]

I have been on two separate Golden Princess cruises. Besides all the things other people have posted, one of the things I like most is all the entertainment. You have the big shows in the theater and the smaller shows in the other smaller theater in the back. Many of the bars have a singer or a band or other entertainment. Really, there is something for pretty much everyone on that ship.

 

For what it's worth the Golden Princess is one of 9 class of ships referred to as the "Grand Princess" class of ships. I have been on 4 of those 9 ships. They are mostly all the same with subtle differences. I always have a good time on them.

[clairebearinaus]

This was my first cruise, and I was travelling just with my 10yo son so we gravitated towards the pools and spent very little time on the lower decks. I also don't need or want much entertainment on a holiday, happy to find a comfy spot and do very little.

 

The cruise itself we could not have been more fortunate with the weather and sea conditions, it was smooth as anything, fine and sunny. The Sydney harbour sailaway, rounding the rocky cape of Wilsons Promontory and the sunrise sail into Melbourne (with curtains and helicopters!) were all spectacular. But you probably just want to know about the ship!

 

Courtesy of a lovely upgrade, thank you Princess, we had balcony cabin A523 on the Aloha deck. Convenience wise, the location was perfect for the two of us who gravitated towards the pools and the quick eats just one flight of stairs up. So easy to just grab a cup of tea whenever. We did hear some noise of scraping chairs and high heels on the deck above and while it didn't wake us up, I will choose one deck down, or well forward under the Lido deck cabins, for longer cruises. Our room was clean, comfortable and well serviced. They'd also decorated it for DS's birthday, which he loved.

 

The open deck areas are fabulous. There always seemed to be plenty of deck chairs and seating around the bars and eateries. Great to have the choice of open air or undercover (but still sunny) pool areas right next to each other. DS reports that the water was pretty cold in the outdoor pool. There are hot tubs galore and always space in one when needed. My favourite spot was up on the sun deck where I could supervise DS in the pool a deck below, and have a gorgeous view of the ocean but well sheltered from the wind, and half watch whatever was playing on MUTS.

 

Apart from stopping for a few minutes to watch a mildly funny magician en route to dinner, and grabbing some souvenirs, we didn't spend any time exploring what the ship had to offer indoors. The lounges all seemed nice enough with that dark wood maritime kind of ambience, not something I'd use unless the weather was foul.

 

We popped into kids club to register and it was officially declared 'lame' by DS, the 8-12 room is very small and focused around a TV, with a bleak little area off to one side with a bunch of playstations (I bring my children on holidays to get them OFF their screens!) and some pleasant but not very energetic staff hanging about. For future cruises I can see this as an evening babysitting option while having a relaxed adult dinner that isn't punctuated with a million "close your mouth while you chew"s, otherwise my boys will want to be out and about on the ship. According to the kids' club signage, there were 62 3-12yo children on board. My social butterfly DS managed to find most of them and by day 2 there was a small posse of young boys hanging out together in the pools having a ball.

 

Food - I should qualify this by saying I work in Melbourne CBD and live inner suburban so am spoiled rotten and my standards are very high. I found the whole food offering a bit 'meh', but I do understand the limitations the ship has in serving the kind of interesting and exotic food I like. Really enjoyed the MDR and in future will orient my day around dinner there and just snack the rest of the time. Both the pizzeria and grills' offerings looked very average, as did the hot food in Horizon Court. The salads, fruits, antipasti and pastries at the buffet and cafe were slightly more appealing.

 

More on the MDR - we had Anytime Dining - thanks to those here that recommended we switch - and just wanted a table for 2. First night we were there at 7.30ish and given a buzzer which went before we could even order our drinks from the bar next door. Next night we were there at 5.30 to make the movie later, and walked straight in. I could REALLY have done without being forced to get up and do the chicken dance after the bombe Alaska parade, but lots of people seemed to enjoy it.

 

There are 3 new standing menu items from Curtis Stone - pork belly, a chicken and leek pie, and osso bucco. My pork belly was nice but the crackling was hard/chewy and inedible, if I wasn't in holiday mood it would have been sent back. The Chocolate Journey dessert was nice, as was the prawn cocktail. DS was made a fuss of with a chocolate birthday cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday. I like the ambience and service of the MDR overall.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the drink prices though there do seem to be so many opportunities to grab a beer ($7.95 Corona) or a cocktail ($13.95), it does add up and I'm considering the package for my big cruise next year.

 

Didn't meet any senior ship staff, only really dealt with whoever was serving me at the time and they were all perfectly polite and efficent, not at all intrusive.

 

Unlike a pp I was actually surprised by the lack of bogan behaviour, there were a few people looking worse for wear after dark on the second night but weren't doing anything annoying.

 

All in all a fabulous cruise and I am now officially addicted :)

[Brisbanelionsfan]

Can you remember what the USD drinks prices were, Brisbanelionsfan? Cocktails, wine by the glass, beers, water, espresso? I heard a rumour that the prices had increased so most of the current US price posts maybe out of date. We're doing Sydney to Hong Kong on Golden next April and onboard prices will be in USD.

 

The drinks I had were by the glass so white wine was about US$8.00, beer(only had Carona) I think were about $8 also and cocktails about $14, and then 15% grats. So converted to A$ quite expensive. I didn't buy water as I drink it from the tap, and we had a coffee card so I don't know the single cup price for coffee.

 

Cheers:)

[MicCanberra]

Thanks all for the reviews/thoughts.:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

The drinks I had were by the glass so white wine was about US$8.00, beer(only had Carona) I think were about $8 also and cocktails about $14, and then 15% grats. So converted to A$ quite expensive. I didn't buy water as I drink it from the tap, and we had a coffee card so I don't know the single cup price for coffee.

 

Cheers:)

 

Thanks. Sounds like they are similar to the Aussie prices but with added grats and exchange rate conversion. Looks like I did the right thing buying drinks packages for us at AU $61.99, just a tad more than the AU drinks package price of $59. We found the drinks package very convenient, and good value for money, on our recent Dawn cruise, and it looks like it will be good value on our Golden cruise next year.

 

Edit - I just did the sums and, based on our drinks consumption on Dawn, including guestimates of coffees and water, the drinks package will save us heaps. We should break even after 11 days of the 21 day cruise. :D :D :D

Edited October 31, 2015 by OzKiwiJJ

[clairebearinaus]

I did some quick sums in my head and worked out that to come out in front of the beverage package, I'd need to grab a coffee and a bottle of water in the morning, a couple of beers by the pool during the day, sunset cocktail and two glasses of wine with dinner.

 

It sounds like such a lot when I put it like that, especially add we're also bringing our 2 allowed bottles of wine onboard and doing the balcony dinner, but it's so easy to knock a few back when just kicking about on deck all day. The challenge will be getting my money's worth on the 5 port days.

 

I'm going to come home a lot fatter that's for sure!

[The_Big_M]

According to the kids' club signage, there were 62 3-12yo children on board.

 

One of the CD lowlights was the disparaging remark he made about there being around 150 kids on board. It looks like there was probably another similar slightly greater number in the teen category.

 

I suspect it was just him trying to be cool to the adult audience and/or part of his comedic schtick, but really... If you don't want to work with kids choose another cruise line!

[MicCanberra]

I did some quick sums in my head and worked out that to come out in front of the beverage package, I'd need to grab a coffee and a bottle of water in the morning, a couple of beers by the pool during the day, sunset cocktail and two glasses of wine with dinner.

 

It sounds like such a lot when I put it like that, especially add we're also bringing our 2 allowed bottles of wine onboard and doing the balcony dinner, but it's so easy to knock a few back when just kicking about on deck all day. The challenge will be getting my money's worth on the 5 port days.

 

I'm going to come home a lot fatter that's for sure!

 

Surely it is just the sea air shrinking the clothes.;)

[Esilef]

One of the CD lowlights was the disparaging remark he made about there being around 150 kids on board. It looks like there was probably another similar slightly greater number in the teen category.

 

 

 

I suspect it was just him trying to be cool to the adult audience and/or part of his comedic schtick, but really... If you don't want to work with kids choose another cruise line!

 

 

I find a lot of cruise directors to really have a personality of a w@nker........sounds like he fits the bill perfectly.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I did some quick sums in my head and worked out that to come out in front of the beverage package, I'd need to grab a coffee and a bottle of water in the morning, a couple of beers by the pool during the day, sunset cocktail and two glasses of wine with dinner.

 

It sounds like such a lot when I put it like that, especially add we're also bringing our 2 allowed bottles of wine onboard and doing the balcony dinner, but it's so easy to knock a few back when just kicking about on deck all day. The challenge will be getting my money's worth on the 5 port days.

 

I'm going to come home a lot fatter that's for sure!

 

We usually pick the late dinner sitting so can easily have a couple of cocktails before dinner on a port day. Unless we've doing a tour we're usually back onboard mid-afternoon anyway.

 

By the way, the half bottle of champagne they provide with the balcony dinner is not very good. We took a decent bottle of champagne with us and drank that with the dinner. We tried their champagne next night but decided it was horrible so we just tipped it down the sink.

[ozmonkeyboy]

Sorry just saw this thread, so excuse my post in the other Syd-Melb 2 nighter thread.

 

I was also fortunate enough to be on this cruise as well, and generally concur with your thoughts, including a younger crowd and a more relaxed atmosphere than on normal Princess Cruises.

 

Other thoughts included;

- The Golden looked a little more tired than I expected, however I did have high expectations. Not as flashy as the Diamond, but still not as tired as the Sun Class ships.

- I love the layout of the Grand Class Princess ships in comparison to the Sun Class ships that we Aussies are familiar with. Although they have more passengers, I find that there the public areas cater for this increase well, and there are more facilities onboard for us to enjoy.

- The AFT pool is shaded, but the pool itself I thought was the warmest onboard. The shade was an option for those that didn't want the full sun, and I found it to be no problem.

- The Wheelhouse bar was midship on Deck 7, and somewhat smaller than on other ships that I have been on. Little disappointed, as I love the Wheelhouse bar, and it often was full in the evening when looking for a spot. Noted that Sabatini's and the Crown Grill were both on Deck 7.

- Food (in my opinion) was typical Princess, nothing spectacular but also nothing horrible. Dined in main dining, buffet, didn't get a chance in the specialties. I dined in anytime dining, small wait times each night, was asked to share a table both nights to avoid the wait times (one night we did, next we didn't), but if you wish to dine just with your partner (ie table for two), a table was found within 5 minutes.

- Staff and service, mostly good, being a 2 nighter it was pretty full on most times, as everyone was always on board, keen to see and try as much as possible, so staff were under the pump.

- I loved the intranet setup on my smart phone with Princess. Being able to view the patter, view your on board account immediately when charges were made (given that we no longer sign for purchases and receive receipts), and also use the messenger facility with fellow registered passengers is a great added bonus. Well done Princess for stepping in the right direction.

- Sydney embarkation process was great, Melbourne was a disaster, as the ship arrived late (due to media event), and all disembarkation times were behind. Taxi queue was horrendous, but be aware, this has happened at every disembarkation in Melbourne that I have done (maybe I am unlucky there). Sydney and Brisbane Terminals seem to do it so much better....

 

- It was interesting to note on this particular cruise that;

 

a) no platinum/elite evening lounge was offered in Skywalkers (we instead received a free drink voucher) I wonder if this will be offered on the longer cruises??

b) no "Happy Hour" was offered in the Wheelhouse Bar. I have been on 2 night cruises where they have offered this.

c) No Bathrobes or Blue Princess Carry bags were offered in the room. Had to request these.

d) As mentioned in initial post, Sundaes was still onboard offering the Free Soft Serve Ice as well as Milkshakes, etc

e) The staff were not selling the Soda (& More) Package, or coffee cards that I saw when we boarded, but they were available for pre-purchase before the cruise.

 

Hopefully the above info doesn't come across in a negative tone, as I enjoyed the short cruise, and wouldn't hesitate to advise anyone to check out the Golden Princess and enjoy a cruise on her.

Happy to answer any Q's, etc

[clairebearinaus]

I bought the Soda and More package, at the bar next to the International Cafe before sailaway. I had to purchase a second time because the online purchase I'd made a few days before sailing hadn't come through. I was refunded for the double up, eventually after some chasing.

[ozmonkeyboy]

I bought the Soda and More package, at the bar next to the International Cafe before sailaway. I had to purchase a second time because the online purchase I'd made a few days before sailing hadn't come through. I was refunded for the double up, eventually after some chasing.

 

Thanks for clarification. As noted in other post, I heard a couple asking to purchase it on day one, and was refused by the bartender. Maybe there was some confusion on their behalf, but I thought it was clear what the cruiser was asking.

Good to hear though that they were selling it.:)

[MicCanberra]

It is often the case that some staff have a differing view to others when it comes to what is available and what isn't.

[Fish66]

Hi, are you allowed to take drinks onboard???

I'm going to nz in Feb and wondered if you could take bottled water or anything else on board