We're jumping ship & need advise

[mgkdk]

Former RCCL cruisers..we've booked a April 8th cruise on the Golden. Anyone have any info that would help us with the switch? Questions we have (as sad as they may be) are....

1. Dress code for the different dining areas. We've got the non-scheduled seating. What about the speciality dining areas?

 

2. We've got the Aloha deck near the terrace pool....bad? or should we switch? Don't like alot of noise late night...a quiet sleep is a luxuary for us. Don't need alot, just like what we get to be quiet.

 

3. Hated the coffee on RCCL...Seatles Best I think. Big Starbucks fans. Any hope for a good cup of joe on Princess? Can you get it all night long...hubby up by 4am walking and exploring.

 

4. Bringing alchol onboard...nothing special maybe some wine? Do they really check that well? Brought 3 bottles on RCCL without a second glance. How about beer from ports?

 

5. I love the idea of the self laundry areas. Any problems with this? Maybe just a load by late week would be nice.

 

6. The last thing is the shore excursions. There doesn't seem to be much with this itinerary. I've seen nothing for parasailing....is this not done down in this area?

 

Well I think thats it...hopefully. Can't wait...we're from Minnesota and we're about to be hit with a snow storm tomorrow. So planning, reading and writing about a place so very..very...very warm is awesome!!!

 

No kids...no dishes....no cooking...no cleaning ...nothing !!and anyone calls me mom....mama...ma....or grandma they'd better hold on !

 

Thanks everyone...see ya soon

[CoNEY46]

1- dress codes. 2 formal nites & 5 casual. formal = dark suit for men & gown ofr woman. casual + dress pants with button down shirt

 

2- we have cabin a744 also right next to the terrace pool. haha see you there neighbor

 

3- coffee on princess lines is the worst in the world. Iread some threads about people bringing a french press and their own coffee

 

4- no problem bringing some bottles on board in your carry on

 

5- I used the laundry on the Princess carribean in 2004 no problem. i thought it was convenient

 

6- browse the internet and plan your own shore excursions. there is much more available than what princess offers and at much cheaper prices. for instance I booked scuba lessions on St Thomas with the Coki dive club for $ 60 and that is with one way transportation.

 

see you on board

 

Mark

[sparkle56]

We just got back from a Golden sailing a week ago, our third with Princess, 2nd on the Golden.

 

1. The dress code was quite dressy actually. We noticed more men in tuxes than not and ladies were extremely dressed up on formal nights, especially the second one. There were a couple of smart casual nights that had me wondering if I had missed the dress code and it was actually formal. Smart casual is supposed to mean a jacket and slacks for men and dresses (like you would wear to church or to dinner) or pants sets for women. About half the men had jackets on smart casual nights, the others opted for nice polos or button downs.

 

2. If you can get a balcony on Caribe, go for it. Huge balconies, half open, half protected.

 

3. You won't get Starbucks coffee on board. Those coffee threads go on and on about the lousy coffee. I like a good cuppa and can handle the coffee on Princess just fine. But, if you like cream, they serve milk. I asked for the real deal and the waiters got to know me well enough that is what they brought.

 

4. Wine, beer, and soft drinks may be brought on board for your own consumption in the room. If you wish to drink it in the dining room they will charge a corkage fee. As for stuff bought in ports, it was inconsistent. Sometimes they check, sometimes they don't. We fully expected our rum to be taken from us and it was not.

 

5. Self service laundry. This is nice. But if you aren't there when your clothes are done washing/drying they will be removed and piled on the table by the next person wishing to do his/her laundry. You can buy laundry soap tablets (I think Purex) that are wrapped and easy to carry.

 

6. Be wary of private shore excursions and do your research well, on the internet and on the Cruise boards. We have had some great experiences and some not so great ones. And if your private tour is late getting you back to the ship, too bad so sad. We literally watched from our balcony as the ship pulled away from the dock in St. Kitts, leaving a woman frantically waving for attention that she wasn't on board. She had to figure out how to get from St. Kitts to Grenada because they didn't go back and get her. Once the ship is secured it stays secured until the next port.

 

Have a great trip! The Golden is a nice ship, well maintained and comfortable.

 

From a neighbor to the west, in ND

[mgkdk]

Thanks Sparkle !!! I just love hearing about this stuff!! We're just starting to plan our shore excursions. If you have ANY suggestions would you please let us know. So far we've thought about renting a jeep in St.Thomas and exploring on our own. Would like to take the tram ride to the "top" and have a beverage at the bar. Would also like to try Megans bay. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

We really need some guidance....last cruise tried to wing it and were somewhat disappointed we definately looked like confused and lost tourists.

 

Thanks so much and very happy you had a safe and wonderful vacation.

[sparkle56]

I'm not sure what your itinerary is. If you tell me that I would be glad to give some suggestions about excursions.

 

In St. Thomas, if you have not been, my number one recommendation is to go to St. John and do either the island tour or the island tour with snorkeling at Trunk Bay. St. John is such a beautiful place and is one of our national parks. Trunk Bay is (so far) my favorite place to snorkel. But just the ride across the water is nice. . .you will see David Letterman's house, Madonna's house, Michael Jordan's house and the overall scenery is not to be beat. You can do this tour independently but the Princess one is very nice and you are assured of not missing the ship!

 

This last trip into St. Thomas because we had been there before we just wandered around (did a TimeShare thing and got two bottles of rum and $70 to spend). I bought knockoff handbags (at the local outdoor market) and a "Movado" watch.

 

I'm excited for you!

[mgkdk]

Hi Sparkle !! Our itinerary is St.Thomas, St. Kitts. Isle Margarita, Greneda & Aruba. The only one we've been to is St. Thomas, did the shopping thing, but couldn't do much with the jewelry thing...my brother in law is a jeweler here and we do get a great deal with him. So didn't do much else there.

Gotta question for ya...can't find much about Aruba and the Hollaway case. Does the cc squash any comments on this? I'd be surprised to see even this on the site...we'll see.

I'm so excited....just me and the hubby for an entire week to ourselves....yipee!!

[sparkle56]

That was our exact itinerary!

 

We did the St. Kitts SE Coast Explorer in the 4WD vehicle which was actually a British military truck and tons of fun! We had photo stops, saw monkeys in the bushes, went to see the Salt Pond (very interesting), took a hike up to the ruins of an old plantation, and went to a nice secluded beach for a picnic and a swim. When I asked about restrooms I was told "the restrooms are the bushes!" Fortunately there were some secluded bushes at the beach! hahahaha We loved St. Kitts. There was not actually much in the town itself as far as shopping, the island is pretty much as it is without a lot of touristy stuff so I would definitely recommend an excursion.

 

In Grenada we also took a tour, the Grenada Explorer (I think) and it sold out so book it early if you are interested. We drove through the island, saw an old spice plantation (really cool), went to Annandale Falls and saw nutty people jumping from way up on a cliff into the water for tips, saw a lake in a crater of a volcano. It happened to be Grenadan Independence Day and so the whole island was decked out in their national colors. Our guide, Andy, was so great. Grenada also didn't have a whole lot in the way of shopping that I could see. It, too, is a fairly poor and undeveloped island.

 

Isla Margarita is a short day and you have to tender in. So if you have a shore excursion count on being up very early as most of them start at 7:30. To take a cab "into town" is about $60 one way so those who were not on excursions opted to just do the market right off the dock. I bought some pearls (real) with a shell enhancer for $18. It was a stall out in the open and I could see the young woman making the jewelry. Her mom was the seller. If you go just beyond the market there is an amazing beach and next time we will do that. The last tender is at noon so you don't have a lot of time.

 

Aruba was a big surprise. We liked it a lot and the jewelry deals are there. My DH went to a casino and I shopped, mostly looking. I went to the color changing t-shirts place because they were giving a free tote bag (rip off) and spent a lot of time in jewelry stores trying on really expensive stuff. ("If my husband does well in the casino I'll be back") Fun! Finally bought a Caribbean Topaz 7 ct pendant (the peachy color, not the blue color) which I got for $20 less than I was offered from the first guy I talked to about it. And a free pair of pearl studs to boot. We ate at a nice balconied restaurant where we could see the ship.

 

As to the Holloway thing, nothing was said, it isn't discussed, as far as I could see we were nowhere near where we have seen Beth Holloway walking around. That is a sad situation. I personally believe Natalee is still alive and in Venezuela. The entire Aruban nation did not cause this to happen, however, and the people we met were wonderfully welcoming.

 

I have an appointment but if you check back I'll write about San Juan next. And if you have any other questions, just ask.