golden princess xmxs cruise

[VK3DQ]

Er Yes .. we are actually double booked in September where we have to choose between Majestic Princess or Carnival Spirit with suites on both .. but next trip an extended aft balcony on Carnival legend

 

Regards

 

John

 

 

Oh dear , after a scathing report from my no1 daughter regarding carnival legend we have decided to cancel our two upcoming cruises with carnival , no 1 daughter says I will not be happy so resources redirected into 27th September Trip on Majestic Princess (Penthouse Suite) ..so we will DEMAND Graham is no deck and in fine form :hearteyes:

 

Regards

 

John

[VK3DQ]

Thank you John. That's good to know ... no more traffic jam on the stairs trying to get back up to cabin. Mmmm think I'll just head straight to the Wheelhouse Bar for a *cough* refreshing glass of cold water. ;):cool:

 

 

Hmmoh dear water, but we do find we drink a great deal more water on the ship than at home :halo:

 

Golden Princess is as I have said a nice ship about half way through her expected life (30 Years) and like us all shows a few blemishes

 

Would we go on her again YES tomorrow , would she be our first choice, no we want some of the "newer" facilities but most of all we want is a noise free space to relax and enjoy watching the sea and the world go by , and increasingly this means a large private suite we have moved from oceanview to suite in the last 10 years I dont think we would take anything less than a suite now having said that club class is a fair option in a mini suite

 

regerds

 

John

 

PS we saved $500 in laundry costs (free laundry in Suite) !!!! :*

[VK3DQ]

Sabatini's for breakfast is the perfect way to start your day , quaff a free mimosa , and then even better free Cafe Latte , this along saved me quite a few $$$s

 

Seriously a very nice suites only breakfast venue breakfast cooked to order and served on fine bone china

Breakfast to me is a special part of a cruise not to be squandered in a buffet :p

 

Also we found room service very good and prompt , if you MUST have a coffee upon waking up take Nestle latte or cappuccino sachets and order hot water from room service , that will save you the trip to the IC in your jarmies

 

 

Regards

 

John

[VK3DQ]

The Pub Lunch

 

Served 3 times on our cruise in Crown Grill, a nice change but NOTHING like an English pub lunch ..

 

no pork pie , you cannot have a pub lunch without pork pie

 

and whilst I am at it NO Kippers for breakfast on the ship!!!

 

 

Bacon both US and English was good , and the better half assured me that the Healthy breakfast was ok ... sorry Jennifer and Clarissa I know "Yogurt is for people with poorly tummies" C: Two Fat Ladies

[possum52]

Hi Leigh

 

Dont arrive before 12 noon then you can get dropped off right at the ship , otherwise they wont let you on the wharf

 

Regards

 

John

 

 

Thanks John, so you don't have to have priority boarding to get close to the terminal in a private car? Did you notice what time did the majority of passengers arrived to embark?

 

I'm glad you, your DW and MIL enjoyed your cruise on the Golden. DH and I are really looking forward to our cruise on her.

 

Leigh

[VK3DQ]

Thanks John, so you don't have to have priority boarding to get close to the terminal in a private car? Did you notice what time did the majority of passengers arrived to embark?

 

I'm glad you, your DW and MIL enjoyed your cruise on the Golden. DH and I are really looking forward to our cruise on her.

 

Leigh

 

Hi Leigh

 

Just arrive after 12 noon and everyone gets to drive in a snake onto the wharf past the spirit of tasmania and right down to the end of the wharf you then do a U turn and go back along side golden Princess to the two min drop off point where you and you bags part company you go up the stairs or the lift to the departure lounge / checkin zoo :eek:

 

 

that should be for all arriving passengers ..the lines then get split into normal and priority

 

No much difference to tell the truth

 

Regards

 

John

[possum52]

Hi Leigh

 

Just arrive after 12 noon and everyone gets to drive in a snake onto the wharf past the spirit of tasmania and right down to the end of the wharf you then do a U turn and go back along side golden Princess to the two min drop off point where you and you bags part company you go up the stairs or the lift to the departure lounge / checkin zoo :eek:

 

 

that should be for all arriving passengers ..the lines then get split into normal and priority

 

No much difference to tell the truth

 

Regards

 

John

 

Thanks John, that explains the car drop off well. Look forward to hearing more about your experiences on the Golden.

 

Regards,

 

 

Leigh

[suexxx]

Hi VK3DQ. Would like to know what your daughter was not happy with on Carnival Legend. We are taking Pete's sister on her in March. Thanks Suexxx

[VK3DQ]

Golden Princess pool and open decks

 

For the first 5 days we had perfect conditions so pool and open decks were well used , however later in the cruise some of the weather decks and pools were closed , it was a classic example of a cruise where you needed a layer of clothing to adapt to the different temps

 

 

Ice cream open 11am ---1am free soft serve

Trident bar open 11am --1am free chips , burgers hot dogs pies etc

 

Both good but decks wet sometime with rain an issue for old and infirm

 

BINGO we have to advise that MIL Elsie cleaned up with $120 win ..cashed in the casino straight into AUD

 

Oh and our total bill at the end keep in mind we had a $700 credit to start and many freebies including laundry which is always a big one for us total that we had to pay $72-00 so no post cruise shock here :halo:

 

Club class we never had to wait more than a few moments to get the table we wanted and were very well looked after.

 

Wine at meals ..only me drinking so by the glass with a very nice rose by brown bros at $9-00 a glass and some quite nice fizzy plonk in a 200ml bottle for the same price was not too bad

 

some very good pasta cooked semi table side was creamy and rich with lots of Parmesan cheese

 

afterr dinner which we took at 7pm we went to the wheelhouse bar where there was a nice Jazz quartet for a sit and a doze before the show which started at 9:45pm so you can see that we were ready for bed at 11pm ish apart from the midnight chippies in a bowl from the trident grill

 

Some of the hot tubs were open way into the night , I still have to try them but I must try "The Enclave" onboard Majestic Princess in September

 

regards

John

[Bodogbodog]

So glad to hear your cruise went well

Was it last year or the year before with all the medical dramas in NZ?

Boy what a difference a year makes :D

Good to see you are back into cruising

[sewgood]

Hi VK3DQ. Would like to know what your daughter was not happy with on Carnival Legend. We are taking Pete's sister on her in March. Thanks Suexxx

 

I'm curious as well John with our first Carnival cruise (on the Legend) on the 6th of March.

[MicCanberra]

Golden Princess pool and open decks

 

For the first 5 days we had perfect conditions so pool and open decks were well used , however later in the cruise some of the weather decks and pools were closed , it was a classic example of a cruise where you needed a layer of clothing to adapt to the different temps

 

 

Ice cream open 11am ---1am free soft serve

Trident bar open 11am --1am free chips , burgers hot dogs pies etc

 

Both good but decks wet sometime with rain an issue for old and infirm

 

BINGO we have to advise that MIL Elsie cleaned up with $120 win ..cashed in the casino straight into AUD

 

Oh and our total bill at the end keep in mind we had a $700 credit to start and many freebies including laundry which is always a big one for us total that we had to pay $72-00 so no post cruise shock here :halo:

 

Club class we never had to wait more than a few moments to get the table we wanted and were very well looked after.

 

Wine at meals ..only me drinking so by the glass with a very nice rose by brown bros at $9-00 a glass and some quite nice fizzy plonk in a 200ml bottle for the same price was not too bad

 

some very good pasta cooked semi table side was creamy and rich with lots of Parmesan cheese

 

afterr dinner which we took at 7pm we went to the wheelhouse bar where there was a nice Jazz quartet for a sit and a doze before the show which started at 9:45pm so you can see that we were ready for bed at 11pm ish apart from the midnight chippies in a bowl from the trident grill

 

Some of the hot tubs were open way into the night , I still have to try them but I must try "The Enclave" onboard Majestic Princess in September

 

regards

John

Good job on spending all your OBC, and then some.:D

[VK3DQ]

Hi VK3DQ. Would like to know what your daughter was not happy with on Carnival Legend. We are taking Pete's sister on her in March. Thanks Suexxx

 

 

Ok Folks this is what she says after her Christmas Cruise on Carnival Legend

 

The Ship was grossly overcrowded there was nowhere that she could escape from Screaming Kids.

 

The Waiters Dancing YMCA on the tabletops in the MDR EVERY NIGHT was brash and puerile and in bad taste

 

Food quality in the buffet was poor and waiting times of up to 40mins for a table in the MDR was normal

 

There was nowhere to sit and enjoy a moment away from the noise .. only your own cabin, they had an extended balcony 4 berth them and the two grandsons , cabin was OK bed and bedding nice but bathrooms a bit on the basic side

 

The ship is very dark (we are aware that its a Joe Farcus creation)

 

 

She said it would not do for me at all as I tend to like the more refined things in life if you like "FUN" it would suit

 

so a noisy holiday camp with lots of kids on the water .....

 

 

Its not the direction we wish to go as we get older .....

 

 

BTW My daughter is in her early 40s with two sons 8ish and 4ish her husband is in his early 50s

 

Regards

John

[NSWP]

Ok Folks this is what she says after her Christmas Cruise on Carnival Legend

 

The Ship was grossly overcrowded there was nowhere that she could escape from Screaming Kids.

 

The Waiters Dancing YMCA on the tabletops in the MDR EVERY NIGHT was brash and puerile and in bad taste

 

Food quality in the buffet was poor and waiting times of up to 40mins for a table in the MDR was normal

 

There was nowhere to sit and enjoy a moment away from the noise .. only your own cabin, they had an extended balcony 4 berth them and the two grandsons , cabin was OK bed and bedding nice but bathrooms a bit on the basic side

 

The ship is very dark (we are aware that its a Joe Farcus creation)

 

 

She said it would not do for me at all as I tend to like the more refined things in life if you like "FUN" it would suit

 

so a noisy holiday camp with lots of kids on the water .....

 

 

Its not the direction we wish to go as we get older .....

 

 

Regards

John

 

Agree John, we were on Carnival Spirit back in 2006, Hawaii/Alaska, not 'Australianised' then no waterslides etc. These days I would not go on it, floating kids club, I prefer Princess, the floating RSL club, lol.:halo:

[VK3DQ]

So glad to hear your cruise went well

Was it last year or the year before with all the medical dramas in NZ?

Boy what a difference a year makes :D

Good to see you are back into cruising

 

 

Best part of 4 years ...dont time fly when your having fun!:hearteyes:

[VK3DQ]

Agree John, we were on Carnival Spirit back in 2006, Hawaii/Alaska, not 'Australianised' then no waterslides etc. These days I would not go on it, floating kids club, I prefer Princess, the floating RSL club, lol.:halo:

 

Our RSL club at Glen Waverley is rather posh , a very nice restaurant some good steaks but not exactly cheap ....about $32-00 -- $40 -00

 

at least its not like the lounge in the doctors waiting area :')

 

if we could pull the casinos out and replace them with a nice wintergarden lounge that would be very nice

 

Oh dear Joe Farcus and I would never agree could you imagine a HAL ship designed by Mr Farcus ,,, the mind boggles

 

 

Regards

 

John

[Dobby_The_Ship_Elf]

Thank you John. That's good to know ... no more traffic jam on the stairs trying to get back up to cabin. Mmmm think I'll just head straight to the Wheelhouse Bar for a *cough* refreshing glass of cold water. ;):cool:

 

Wheelhouse is one of the Mustard Stations ......... maybe people should consider taking this into account now when booking staterooms ........ see where your Mustard Station will be.

 

Nothing worse than being sentenced to Mustard Station "Ice Station Zebra" (aka Princess Theatre) ... too bloody cold and no bloody bar !!

[LC1950]

Aaah yes Dobby, so it is. My first cruise on the Golden we were assigned the Wheelhouse for mustard drill (I'd forgotten that). Our cruise last year we were in the Vista Lounge. Cabin was aft each time but different decks. Suspect on our next cruise we'll probably be assigned Vista Lounge again - different cabin but same deck as last cruise.

[NSWP]

Wheelhouse is one of the Mustard Stations ......... maybe people should consider taking this into account now when booking staterooms ........ see where your Mustard Station will be.

 

Nothing worse than being sentenced to Mustard Station "Ice Station Zebra" (aka Princess Theatre) ... too bloody cold and no bloody bar !!

 

But ALL the bars are closed during Emergency Drills !!!! At least on Princess they are.:halo:

[LC1950]

You can always get a "traveller" before the bars close.

[sewgood]

Thanks John for the details of why your daughter didn't think you would like Carnival.

 

Hopefully the ship won't have so many children on board in March. But if it does thats OK.

 

My first cruise was on P&O Australia during the school holidays (it was a free cruise) with my Sister's family. I didn't notice one child misbehaving. The kids club kept them busy and they had children's discos at night time.

Hopefully the children on the Legend will be kept busy with activies.

 

At least I know now that when I try the buffet and I don't like it not to go back as it doesn't get any better.

 

Looks like I had better take some ear plugs for the screaming children and they might came in handy in the dining room along with some very dark sun glasses for when the waiters do there dancing.:D

[NSWP]

You can always get a "traveller" before the bars close.

 

Or on Princess, 'attack' your Elite mini bar, a miniature of spirits in each pocket.:halo::p Lubbly Jubbly.

[Pippa and Toby]

Do they have Happy Hour - BOGO for $1 on the Golden for Australian Cruises?

[MicCanberra]

Do they have Happy Hour - BOGO for $1 on the Golden for Australian Cruises?

I may depend on the cruise, have read in this forum that it wasn't on at least two of the cruises this season.

[VK3DQ]

Do they have Happy Hour - BOGO for $1 on the Golden for Australian Cruises?

 

 

Not as far as I was aware , but there was no shortage of booze on board..... there was a VERY nice fizzy Rose --brown brothers on the list ideal for summer quaffing...;p $9-00 a glass

 

 

Regards

 

John