7 year old girl on Golden Princess

[markandallan]

Hi has anyone sailed on The Golden Princess with younger children. We have Just got off Explorer of the seas with RCCL and she had a ball. However we want to try a new cruise line next year. There where parts of RCCL we where not that happy with, hence trying something new.

 

 

Not sure of what the makeup of clientele is on Princess and want to make sure she would feel comfortable and us as well being same-sex parents.

 

Any information appreciated.

 

Thanks

Mark and Allan

[h-sar]

Hi has anyone sailed on The Golden Princess with younger children. We have Just got off Explorer of the seas with RCCL and she had a ball. However we want to try a new cruise line next year. There where parts of RCCL we where not that happy with, hence trying something new.

 

 

Not sure of what the makeup of clientele is on Princess and want to make sure she would feel comfortable and us as well being same-sex parents.

 

Any information appreciated.

 

Thanks

Mark and Allan

 

Awwww...brings back some great memories of our first ever cruise back in 2006 and it was also the Golden. My daughter was 8 and son 10. They had an absolute ball. Loved the kids' club and the pool. Now that they've been on the newest Princess ships and the Oasis class and are 16 and 18, probably couldn't get them back on Golden, but I have nothing but fond memories of it. Having sailed 4 different Princess ships, I've found it be a very accepting atmosphere (and it would distress me to discover differently), but perhaps others with more personal experience will chime in.

[waltd]

Guys First where are you going and for how long? Shorter trips usually have a younger crowd. Also RCCL is geared more towards families. I think RCCL has more for the kids to do then Princess. Just my opinion from the RCCL trip we were on. Princess does have a kids club and many have posted that the kids had a great time. I have no experience with that but depending on what time of year others have posted that the kids clubs do fill up when sailing around school breaks. As far as feeling comfortable Princess is no different then other cruise lines. There are many wonderful people on board and as you know there are always a few........... From past experience I feel the food is a bit better on Princess but as has been said a million times food is subjective. I think RCCL has a higher energy then Princess but my preference has always been Princess.

Joe

[SadieN]

Traveled with a group, including a friend with her 6yo GD. The GD cried when we were debarking from the Golden. At dinner the waiters had several shrimp cocktails waiting for her. She ordered from both the kid's menu and adult menu.

Onboard we've met many families of many different combinations.

[markandallan]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

[h-sar]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

 

Based on this information about your daughter, the Golden seems like a good choice, given the other options are the older Carnival ships. This would be a great age for her to sail the golden, because as she gets a few years older, will want the bells and whistles of the newer, larger ships.

Edited January 13, 2016 by h-sar

[mjmalino]

We have been on 4 Princess cruises, but none of which have been on Golden, however we have been on the Caribbean and Ruby. We have also done various itineraries sync as Caribbean, Alaska and Mediterranean. My youngest son was 8 on our first cruise. My kids LOVE Princess! That is not to say they wouldn't look at a ship berthing next to us and salivate at their waterslides, but they always enjoyed the kids club.

[moki'smommy]

Disney is the obvious choice but they are horribly overpriced and don't do any good cruises (Caribbean and Europe). In addition, both service and food quality have slipped in recent years.

 

We've found Princess to be a great choice. Food and service are better than DCL. Cabins are smaller and not as nice, ships in general are not as pretty...and there are no princesses or furries. BUT the programming is at least as good, the pools and the ship in general are much less crowded, and the parents on Princess seem to take care of their kids. They don't come on board to dump the kids in programming and have their own vacation. It is much more "family" time.

[waltd]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

 

Just curious where is Ballarat? :) From what I have read folks down under love to have a good time so it should be a lively cruise. If your daughter is happy with the pool you should be just fine. The Golden was one of our favorite ships. For us it's more about price and itinerary. Princess does have a good product IMHO.

[markandallan]

Just curious where is Ballarat? :) From what I have read folks down under love to have a good time so it should be a lively cruise. If your daughter is happy with the pool you should be just fine. The Golden was one of our favorite ships. For us it's more about price and itinerary. Princess does have a good product IMHO.

 

 

Ballarat is about an hour and a half from Melbourne and is a regional centre of about 100,000 people nowhere near the ocean. Nice place though🙂

[waltd]

Ballarat is about an hour and a half from Melbourne and is a regional centre of about 100,000 people nowhere near the ocean. Nice place though

 

Just looked it up on line. Looks like a very historical and beautiful city.

[Womble99]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

 

We did the 13 night NZ cruise on Golden out of Melbourne early December with our two boys (8 and 15) Both of them used the kids club and had a blast. The kids club is in 3 sections based on age 3-7, 8-12, 13-17. There is a kids splash pool for the younger group on the sun deck though it was closed for renovations during our cruise. Our youngest spent a lot of time in the main pools as well more so the indoor one than the outdoor one, but that was where most kids were to be found plus there was table tennis tables on the upper deck in there as well.

 

Never had an issue with the boys in the mdr as the staff went out of their way to entertain them. Overall it must have been ok as they both keep pestering me as to when they can go on their next cruise?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our third cruise on Princess was when my daughter was 7 (her first three cruises were on Carnival from 23 months of age to 4 years). Maybe she might like to be on a ship with the bells and whistles like a rock climbing wall, but those interest her for all of five minutes and then she moves on. She likes hanging out with kids her age, hanging out at the pool, seeing the shows, checking out the food (she's a picky eater but on the last cruise tried calamari and now she checks menus for that item:rolleyes:).

 

I'm not sure how many kids her age would be on that sailing. If the Golden is doing an Australian cruise, is that a time when kids on still on vacation? That would determine how active the kids' program s for her.

 

Our last two cruises were on the Golden on the Hawaiian round trips during winter break so many kids. She was 13 and 15 on those and she found some teens her age.

[SadieN]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

 

We've sailed in both the Spirit and Golden.

 

The Spirit class (Spirit and Legend) is extremely easy to navigate. The Golden's deck plan is a bit confusing to me.

 

Carnival's cabins are larger overall. A favorite is the 4K, obstructed inside with an opening French door. Princess has better suited perks.

Edited January 13, 2016 by SadieN

[markandallan]

We've sailed in both the Spirit and Golden.

 

The Spirit class (Spirit and Legend) is extremely easy to navigate. The Golden's deck plan is a bit confusing to me.

 

Carnival's cabins are larger overall. A favorite is the 4K, obstructed inside with an opening French door. Princess has better suited perks.

 

 

Hi what was the cabin like on Carnival. Videos I have seen of legend and Spirit seem dated and in need of a refurbishment.

[Steven_&_Daniel]

In regards to the same-sex issue, I don't think you'll have any problems at all. We always love sailing Princess and have never been uncomfortable.

[joybook]

Firstly let me say that my wife and I are Princess people with 5 under our belt with them. A couple of years ago we took the kids and grandkids (aged 13 to 3) on a Pacific Island cruise on RCIs Rhapsody of the Seas. We went with them due to the timing of the cruise. While I am not an expert on kid's clubs they appear to be quite similar. However the one important thing that impressed us with Rhapsody was that the main pool had a gradual slope into it - somwehat like a beach approach which was great for kids who were not quite comfortable with a deeper pool. This may not be an important issue for you but we have often spoken about it since and everyone agreed that it was a stroke of luck for us as the kids spent many hours every day in this section of the pool. Just a thought for you to consider.:)

[USNUZULOOSE]

Me and DH cruised on the Grand in 2013. We have no young children. But sitting down to lunch on the lido deck, I saw a counselor who was with about 3 boys and 1 girl I believe , and the lady was fantastic with them. They had a good time at lunch with her. So if the crew on the Golden is as awesome as I observed , she should have a good time.

[joybook]

Just to add to my previous response. We were on the Golden about 12 months ago for 31 days and we thought the ship and the crew (particularly the wait staff) were fabulous - no problems at all. We are presently looking at a future cruise on the Golden.:)

[kuldalai]

Just come off Golden Princess 7 day cruise of Tasmania January 2016. Ship was crawling with ankle biters of all ages, all well behaved, having a ball .

So go for Golden Princess great ship, and good activity programs for kids and teenagers of all ages . I spoke to many kids and teenagers and they were all having a fabulous time .

[Aus Traveller]

To Markandallan,

 

I suggest you join in the Australia and NZ cruisers section of this forum. I am sure you will find everyone friendly. :)

[Cruise Raider]

Hi we are thinking of 13 night cruise in January 2017 to NZ. We liked RCCL but service was pretty poor as many staff seemed unhappy and they rally messed up Xmas dinner. RCCL seem to be a lot more expensive and we feel didn't deliver. That said adventure ocean was great as was ice skating, but honestly our daughter loved just being in the pool the most and the kids club( adventure Ocean) There was no kids pool or splash zones on Explorer Si she just used the main pool.

 

Other option was Carnival but the ships in Australia look pretty tired by videos I have seen ( Legend and Spirit)

 

We were on the Golden for a 14 night Hawaii trip in March one year. There were only 3 children onboard and would expect much of the same to happen for a January cruise.

This was one of our favorite cruises but you have to remember, the longer the cruise, the less children you will see onboard. Heck, we were both in our 50's and most people thought we were the kids onboard. For a time when most kids will be in the middle of a school year, there will probably be very few kids for her to socialize with. The parents of one of those children onboard ended up spending most of the time with her parents as there was just nobody else to get to play with. If she is fine with hanging out with the activities director or with you and doesn't need to be around a lot of kids, she will be just fine. But if she requires a lot of group activities with other kids to have a ball, this might not be the cruise for you. The ship is fine, I am only speaking of the demographics you will most likely find while onboard.

 

Quite some time ago, when we first started cruising, it was on Princess. We commented on the lack of children onboard with one of the crew. She noted that anything over 7 days usually does see a lesser number of children booked. Anything that is 2 weeks long will have even fewer ...and especially during the school year. Makes sense ... now, we always book our cruises with this knowledge on hand.

[Aus Traveller]

We were on the Golden for a 14 night Hawaii trip in March one year. There were only 3 children onboard and would expect much of the same to happen for a January cruise.

This was one of our favorite cruises but you have to remember, the longer the cruise, the less children you will see onboard. Heck, we were both in our 50's and most people thought we were the kids onboard. For a time when most kids will be in the middle of a school year, there will probably be very few kids for her to socialize with. The parents of one of those children onboard ended up spending most of the time with her parents as there was just nobody else to get to play with. If she is fine with hanging out with the activities director or with you and doesn't need to be around a lot of kids, she will be just fine. But if she requires a lot of group activities with other kids to have a ball, this might not be the cruise for you. The ship is fine, I am only speaking of the demographics you will most likely find while onboard.

 

Quite some time ago, when we first started cruising, it was on Princess. We commented on the lack of children onboard with one of the crew. She noted that anything over 7 days usually does see a lesser number of children booked. Anything that is 2 weeks long will have even fewer ...and especially during the school year. Makes sense ... now, we always book our cruises with this knowledge on hand.

I believe the OP is referring to an Australian cruise. From what I have seen, at any time of year there are a fair number of children on board. The 'almost exceptions' are cruises of five weeks or more during school time where there will only be a couple of children. On a normal length cruise (say up to 14 days) there will always be several children even when it is not school hols.:)

[mrs and mrs]

Hi has anyone sailed on The Golden Princess with younger children. We have Just got off Explorer of the seas with RCCL and she had a ball. However we want to try a new cruise line next year. There where parts of RCCL we where not that happy with, hence trying something new.

 

 

Not sure of what the makeup of clientele is on Princess and want to make sure she would feel comfortable and us as well being same-sex parents.

 

Any information appreciated.

 

Thanks

Mark and Allan

 

Hi Mark and Allan,

We are aopenly transgendered lesbian couple and have cruised princess 3 x,and I can tell you that you will be fine.Princess cruises takes a very dim view of homophobia,and will stampdown on any issues you may have.You will always get idiots where ever you are,but 98% of the people you will be cruising with will be fantastic.Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[shredie]

In regards to the same-sex issue, I don't think you'll have any problems at all. We always love sailing Princess and have never been uncomfortable.

 

Princess people are generally very tolerant. Your little girl will love the kids' club.