Live From the Golden Princess Oct 15th-29th and beyond?

[rickandjanie]

Welcome back to Live on the Golden Princess

It was asked who is the Matrie’d and he is Mario Propato

And the Head Chef is Remo Bolin

 

Thank you Suzieb for the information. We have sailed with Mario Propato before. He is very good.

[dorioty]

Don't know about the suite perks.

[Suzieb]

Thanks for the daily updates. We leave for the same cruse on 11/12. First cruise and first time in Hawaii. We plan on renting cars in Hilo, Honolulu and Maui and just go at our own pace. Planning to see VNP, Akaka Falls, Pearl Harbor, Ion... Palace. going to Paradise Cove luau. Any other suggestion? Any info on C623? Is it in a good location? Appreciate any input you may have.

:D

 

To use it was worth it to rent a car on the Big Island and view VNP on your own. We made a picnic out of it. There is no food service in the park. In Honolulu we took a shuttle to the Arizona andit was pretty easy, the parking at the mermorial looked pretty full. Kauai and Maui are also nice places to rent cars you you can go out and enjoy the islands, Next time we will do it tht way. Also note that Honolulu is very crowded with lots of cars and is the hardest place to get around.

 

Enjoy

[Suzieb]

Welcome back to Live on the Golden

We are back to sea days, so I have time now!

The third stop is Kauai, and it is a small harbor and we were docked in no time and disembarking was on time. Outside the pier area are where the tour buses line up and the free shuttles to Hilo Hatties and Wal-Mart. Also there are free shuttle to other shopping areas and beaches. We did the river cruise and Fern Grotto tour, and it was nice but I thought a little short in length. While we waited for our boat to leave they entertained us with Hawaiian music and comedy, Hawaiian style. And on the trip up to the Grotto we were told of the history of the area and it was very interesting. At the Fern Grotto they sang the Hawaiian Wedding Song and had a hula dancer dance to it. But as crowed as it was those of use in the back could not see anything, but oh well. Going and coming to the grotto from the boat, you get to see much of the local flora and most of it is in full bloom. We also got to meet one of the many stray cats, very friendly they are. Coming back from the grotto, the bus took us to one of the many falls in Kauai, and again we got some more history of the island. Once back at the ship we had plenty of time to do what ever we wanted. Having been on Kauai before, we went to Wal-Mart to check on wine replacement. So far no one had the better box wines until we saw Black Box there in Wal-Mart! Who knew! Sail away from Kauai was very pleasant and many folks were hanging out on their balconies enjoying the views and wine!

Our last stop is Maui, and is a tender stop. We schedule a tour to the Maui Ocean Center so we did not have to worry about getting tender tickets. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the Center and was a very pleasant ride. They only gave 1 ½ hours at the Center but it is enough time to view most of the exhibits. All the fish are local to Hawaiian waters, and they have small fish and large fish, manta rays, turtles, and sharks. Most tanks are very easy to photograph the fish, but not all pictures will come out. Some of those fish seem to know just as you shoot the picture and they don’t want to be in the picture. After they take you back to the pier, the town of Lahaina has about 1 mile of shops on both sides of the street. It is very easy to walk and they even have a Hard Rock Café! There are a couple places you can get a good view of the ship while it is at anchor. At sailaway we realized it’s almost over. Five days to go, darn!

Day 10 at sea. The Patter is back to being full of activates, from Hula classes, and lectures, movies, art auctions and group gatherings. The Ballroom dace today is Jive Boogie. It has a very easy basic step, and then we got lost. It was fun watching everyone else, I’m sure we will take classes when we get back home. Tonight is the second formal night and all the photographers were setting up for portraits when we went down for the second wine tasting. While strolling the decks during the day, we saw many folks totally relaxing on deck, most the pools were closed due to the rough seas. It’s not too bad, some are walking around like drunken sailors, but if you drink more it’s a lot better!

Just a note, a few folks that had taken the Polynesian Culture Center tour said it was real long, almost too long for them. It is a ten hour tour. Even though you get a luau you do miss diner onboard the ship, and I heard you have to pay for your Mai-Tai’s. Don’t want to scare anyone away from this tour, just reporting what I’ve heard.

[Kruizer]

Thank you Suzie for the great information and taking the time to share it. I'm so glad you are having a great time and I will definately take your advise to have some drinks to balance out the rough seas!

Judie :D

[dobie]

Our dinnermates said the same thing about the Polynesian Culture long tour, but they were stronger in their wording. They really really hated it. Said they were "rushed" in spots...you have 10 minutes, then back on the bus, there were 55 people to load and unload, and it was a very long long day. They are going to write a letter to Princess.

Today a nice sea day, except that our pool is closed. The Lotus Spa pool is closed because they are...get this...painting it! On a sea day! When I asked why at the pursers nobody knew. Yesterday it was closed due to the rough seas, but the other pools opened. So I don't know what is up there.

Lots and lots of activities today, from the boat races where you have to build a boat and float a case of beer, to vegetable carving, pool games....lots going on. We just like to hang out by the pool and read.

Off to get ready for dinner.....suzieb, you are much better than I am at this!!

[annmarz]

I really appreciate all the "live" posts.

 

Are there 2 total formal evenings?

[Northeastal]

In response to an earlier question, the Captain John Foster comes from Liverpool in England.

[lannp]

Dobie - sorry we didn't meet on the Coral Princess - Panama. I'm glad you've enjoyed the cruise. I did it last February on the Diamond. Sounds like you had a smoother crossing than us. The first two days out of LA were Rough! At least that's what's people complained about. I didn't notice.

Linda

[dianef]

Interesting to read Suzie's posts on the second cruise to Hawaii,for the Golden.Suzie,we went to the talk taht the cruise diretor and assistant did,asking them questions about their lives and others had interesting questions,and there were interesting answers. I am sorry your cruise is rocky also.We had the pools closed most of the days back from Hawaii.We had a beautiful weather day,the day we were in Ensenada.Besides the days in Hawaii,it was the nicest weather day we had on the ship. Keep enjoying.

[gunner22a]

To all that posted from the ship. Gina and I fly to LA on Tuesday from rather blustery Edmonton Canada and are looking forward to this cruise and some rest and relaxation.

 

Ron

[Cruiser-66]

Thank-you for taking time to give us live reports from the Golden. We will be sailing in Dec., and we're getting excited! We will be on the Plaza Deck and wondering if they have a laundromat on that deck. Someone on the Grand said that there is a small one, but it doesn't show on the deck plans. If you could check that out I would appreciate it. Also do you feel it is important to have a car reserved on the islands, or can we just go there when we get off the ship. I would rather wait as this leaves other options open. Thanks!

[dobie]

Another sea day today, the sea is like glass. We've been hanging in the indoor pool since the Lotus Spa pool is closed....for painting....

Unfortunately, there are 3 formal nights on this cruise. The next one is tomorrow night. Hopefully they'll change this as the luggage restrictions are getting so strict, who has the room?

Saw a comedian and magician before dinner last night who were very good! The outdoor pool duo was playing at the indoor pool today, enjoyed them. Tonight is the crew talent show and "if I were not upon the sea", that old standby, always funny.

A few random thoughts:

If you have an obstructed view cabin on Deck 8 it is very bright at night, even with the drapes closed, as the lights are on over the lifeboats. Bring a night mask. I actually taped some towels over the porthole one night!!

The Susan B Komen Walk for the Cure was pitifully organized. The first mention was in the Patter which was delivered to our cabin last night after dinner. It was to be today at 9:15. The Patter said to sign up at the Purser. Went down there last night at 11, they did not know anything about it, finally found an old form with the wrong date on it, and gave it to us. This morning about 15 people showed up, the cruise staff member running it seemed to not know much about it, and they didn't have the Breast Cancer Walk hats, they gave out Princess Tote Bags. It was very disappointing. They could have raised so much money on a ship this size with some organization. I'm going to write a letter to Princess and my husband is writing the Komen Foundation. Princess should either do it, and support it, or not.

We're enjoying our Traditional dining, our wait people have been wonderful.

Our room steward continues to be exceptional. In additon to our towel monkey (complete with banana), hanging next to our palm tree, we have a towel bird on the very top of the palm tree, and last night we had a towel mouse on our pillows. We're very spoiled.

Haven't gone to any of the alternative dining rooms.

My mom has enjoyed going to the movies, today she saw Kitt Kettridge, yesterday Sex and the City, she's also seen Get Smart and I forget what else.

OK, off to dinner!!

[MSUcruisers]

Our cabin is E418, an obstructed ocean view, we have a small rescue craft outside, so the view is good, and no "little man" on it all the time as on the Emerald.QUOTE]

 

Dobie, We will also have an obstructed ocean view cabin on the Emerald deck for our Feb. 4 Golden Princess cruise. Is there any problem in your cabin with lights from shining on the lifeboats after dark?

[laughing husky]

Thanks for the answer about Cpt. Foster. The Caymans are a British Protectorate and most of the Fosters there came from Liverpool or Brighton....So maybe he is a relative.....somewhere in the woodpile.... :) Mario is a great person on board. We have sailed with him a couple of times.

[Suzieb]

Thank-you for taking time to give us live reports from the Golden. We will be sailing in Dec., and we're getting excited! We will be on the Plaza Deck and wondering if they have a laundromat on that deck. Someone on the Grand said that there is a small one, but it doesn't show on the deck plans. If you could check that out I would appreciate it. Also do you feel it is important to have a car reserved on the islands, or can we just go there when we get off the ship. I would rather wait as this leaves other options open. Thanks!

 

We just finished the galley tour and I did look at the brass map and I did not see it listed, but we will later go look for it. I'll let you know tomorrow

[Suzieb]

Welcome back to our live on the Golden Princess

Day 11: An exciting day on the Golden, they changed the episode of “The Love Boat”! Every time you turn on the TV it is on “The Love Boat” Channel. So after ten days we are excited to watch a new episode, of course many folks have seen each show many times. Anyway I’m getting lost here, the seas are a lot calmer today and the pools are open and the loungers have many folks out enjoying the sunny day. Again the Patter is full of activates to hopefully keep everyone busy that want to be busy. Today the last Ball Room dance and it is Tango. Knowing this dance needs a lot of room to dance, we just went and watched from the side. Tango is a very difficult dance and near the end we were able to see several couples had two or three of the steps down pretty good to dance a nice Tango. We enjoyed the instructors and they did a pretty good job. It’s just that there is not enough room for the folks that showed up, and never enough time to really learn and remember the steps. Also more Scholarship at Sea classes, ceramics, intermediate Ukulele. Also lectures and talks about sports, and trivia challenges. There was also fruit and vegetable carving and shuffleboard competition. They also have WII sports games. Today is bowling. They seem to have something for every one, so you can be as busy as you want to be. For us it was laundry day. What we noticed is on the odd number decks the laundromat is aft and the even numbered decks it is forward. Also they are on both port and starboard sides but not connected. Of course the change machines did not work, (we have yet to see one work on a ship!) but a quick trip to the pursers deck and we got a roll of quarters. Just a note, you will find silver Princess Tokens in the roll of quarters and they work in the laundromat just fine, but the copper colored ones from the arcade will not work. Also the silver tokens along with quarters do not work in the arcade at all. The third of four Captains Circle Cocktail party is tonight and it is from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., so here is to a free drink! Captain Foster said the Golden is going into drydock in April and is getting MUTS and the Sanctuary that the other ships have. We heard someone won $2,400 in Bingo yesterday and we all are excited for her. Wish is was me! The entertainment listing for the night is starting to say “final performance” for several performers so we know our time is slowly coming to an end … bummer.

It’s now day 12 and, well, another day at sea. So much to do and so many naps to take! The day started out overcast and really did not change through the day, and the sea was as smooth as glass, and that is pretty good for the Pacific Ocean.

Dam, things are getting real busy now, at least for us! We wanted to do three things today, the photo contest, the veterans gathering, and the final wine tasting. We found out the room where the photo contest was being held in was double booked so as good photographers we adjusted and moved to another time. The wedding chapel is booked for a lot of activates! Anyway I was able to win third for my Kauai Sunrise, and I will post that later. The hard part was the Veterans gathering and Wine Tasting was held at the same time, too bad it wasn’t at the same place. Hard choice, but we paid for the wine tasting so I got my money’s worth! But at other Veterans gathering there was many in attendance, and I knew a few that did not go the first time and hope they made the second one. If you get a chance to listen to the sea/land stories, enjoy them, there are a bunch of good ones! (And not one stretches the truth one bit!) The Patter is full of other activities to do so even though the cruise is about over, there are things to do or not do! Okay another nap is in store for me! We also have another time change tonight and the third formal is tomorrow. We have notice the internet getting slower, some of it I account for the ship and the satellite but most of it seems to be my own provider. As we log in to web mail, it gets real slow and the connection is unreliable. But Yahoo Mail and Gmail we have had no problem with. I guess I need to talk to my provider when I get back; they even bounced the only e-mail I sent!

Hope everyone is enjoying and to the next group we are keeping the Golden in fine shape and we have not run out of anything yet. We are trying!

[SFParrtHd]

Thanks for taking time to post - we'll be on the Golden next October. Hawaii is one of the best cruises we have been on.

[sailinsal]

So sad your voyage is coming to embarkation............but debarkation of us..............WAAAAA HOOOOOO. Good to have your tips must get a roll of quarters............and seas are smooth today......yea. Hope that will keep up for the next three days. Glad the pool is open today, too. Our weather is coolish in the am but sun predicted for when you dock.........so will be sunnywhen we sail out........I thank you sooooooooo much for being so attentive to your CC friends. I plan to take your place on the puter with CCers...............so keep my seat warm in the internet cafe. I wanted ask about Chefs dinner do they have it on Golden? and do you know anyone that was elite that was invited to Captains's special gathering for most traveled folks? hope to hear again from you......how Ensenada was???? hee hee...........nothing to match the islands you so enjoyed............sailinsal

[dobie]

Yes, there is a problem with the lights on the lifeboats at night on deck 8. I think I posted that earlier.

 

The Chef's table has been advertised in the Patter for the whole cruise...$75..don't know if they didn't have enough takers or they did more. Too rich for my blood.

 

The cutoff for the most traveled luncheon was 230 days. We were at 216, so missed it.

 

The Love Boat episodes play continually, and continually, and unfortunately the same episode plays for days. The first one was the one where Charo was a stowaway, that played for about 6 days. The one on now has Scott Baio as a young teen and Hotlips Houlihan....I think this is the 3rd day for this one.

 

They opened the Lotus Pool again, it is a bit chilly out there, but the seas are calm.

 

Problems with not reserving rental cars....we met a young couple who were getting married on Maui and couldn't get a rental car. They met a couple from the ship who volunteered to drive them to their wedding, ended up staying and being witnesses, and taking them out for dinner. I did hear a few folks say the cars were all taken, not sure what ports they were talking about.

 

I haven't been able to print anything off of the Internet, even though the guy says the printer works, and "next time you are here I will help you". I've used 3 different user names. Tomorrow when it comes time for boarding passes I'll just have to check in and have them printed at the airport.

 

Wonderful dinner last night...lamb chops, tonight beef wellington.

 

One more formal night, tonight.....one more cocktail party.

 

Tomorrow is Ensenada.

 

Off to relax a bit....more....

[paccruiser]

Yes, there is a problem with the lights on the lifeboats at night on deck 8. I think I posted that earlier.

 

The Chef's table has been advertised in the Patter for the whole cruise...$75..don't know if they didn't have enough takers or they did more. Too rich for my blood.

 

The cutoff for the most traveled luncheon was 230 days. We were at 216, so missed it.

 

The Love Boat episodes play continually, and continually, and unfortunately the same episode plays for days. The first one was the one where Charo was a stowaway, that played for about 6 days. The one on now has Scott Baio as a young teen and Hotlips Houlihan....I think this is the 3rd day for this one.

 

They opened the Lotus Pool again, it is a bit chilly out there, but the seas are calm.

 

Problems with not reserving rental cars....we met a young couple who were getting married on Maui and couldn't get a rental car. They met a couple from the ship who volunteered to drive them to their wedding, ended up staying and being witnesses, and taking them out for dinner. I did hear a few folks say the cars were all taken, not sure what ports they were talking about.

 

I haven't been able to print anything off of the Internet, even though the guy says the printer works, and "next time you are here I will help you". I've used 3 different user names. Tomorrow when it comes time for boarding passes I'll just have to check in and have them printed at the airport.

 

Wonderful dinner last night...lamb chops, tonight beef wellington.

 

One more formal night, tonight.....one more cocktail party.

 

Tomorrow is Ensenada.

 

Off to relax a bit....more....

 

My second cruise with Princess and first time on the Golden, I would like to know about the chef's table, what is it all about? On the Island Princess they had lobster night, was the same offered in the dinning rooms during the cruise?

[Suzieb]

Welcome back to our live on the Golden Princess

 

It’s our final sea day and the final formal night along with the Captain’s Gala Farewell Cocktail Party and the Champagne Falls tonight. We had the Culinary Cooking show this morning followed by a quick tour of the galley on Deck 5. By looking at the Patters and all the activities planned you would never know that it is coming to a close. There is a “Meet the Navigator” in the theater and we hear there is a virtual tour of the bridge. Arts and crafts is still going strong, groups are still meeting in the lounges through out the ship. There is even a gathering of the “Golden Hour,” for those married 50 years or longer. The final art auction is today and of course there is free champagne! On the noon report from the bridge was reported at 63 degrees outside and the weather report for Ensenada is 83 degrees. So we are heading to the last warm day before most of us travel to colder parts of the country and the world. Lobster is the choice for most tonight for dinner, but the pheasant sounds good! And of course the photographers are setting up for the formal portraits tonight, I think we will have wine glasses in our hands for the photos, trying to be a touch different.

 

Last day! Well the forms appeared last night, The guest questionnaire, customs, disembarkation tags, and I’m sure there are more buried in there, we just have not found them! The Patter has all the normal activates, trivia, bingo, movies, and other easy going stuff to do during the day if you don’t want to get off at Ensenada. The drawing for the crystal ship and the auction for the navigation map of the cruise is this morning. I must admit that we wanted to win the navigation chart as it would be a nice one of a kind memento of the cruise, and we won it with a bid of $250. It makes up for loosing the one when we were on the Sun Princess and that one went for $1000.

 

Well, this is the final morning and the sun is up and shining with haze on the horizon and the seas are calm, we must be close to land. What to do, what to do, well there at 10 more naps I am suppose to take before the end of the cruise and 25 more meals to enjoy! My pants still fit and we still have quarters on the desk, and what else can you ask for in a morning on one of the last days of a cruise.

 

A quick tour of Deck 5, Plaza deck we found the laundry mat, and it is not on the map but it is located port side forward

 

Thanks dobie for joining in Its nice to get several points of view

 

sailnsal We are using a laptop and connecting via wifi normally in the Atrium but you can also use wifi in the internet cafe and horizon court

 

We will look forward to the on going posts from the new sailors to find out what we missed and what to look forward to on our next time, when we do sail again.

 

Enjoy

[Cruisin' Chick]

Congrats, Suzie, for your winning bid.

 

I imagine there will be plenty of passengers staying onboard tomorrow. On our Hawaiian cruise, we just got off long enough to go to that little marketplace for a short while. When we got back on the ship, it looked like most people headed for the pool and stayed there.

[Suzieb]

Congrats' date=' Suzie, for your winning bid.

 

I imagine there will be plenty of passengers staying onboard tomorrow. On our Hawaiian cruise, we just got off long enough to go to that little marketplace for a short while. When we got back on the ship, it looked like most people headed for the pool and stayed there.[/quote']

 

We were surprised on how many got off yesterday in Ensanada. I would say about half got off and half of those went on tours. I'm only gauging that on what we saw from the lido deck having pizza and beer!

[Suzieb]

Welcome back to our Live on the Golden Princess

 

Well, it’s over for us and those on the next cruise are slowly waking up to a foggy day here in San Pedro. The Golden Princess docked at around 7 a.m. this morning, and the hustle and bustle is in full swing. The dining room for breakfast is open and serving French Toast that is pretty good, and I would recommend it be tried. We got our final cup of coffee and tea from the Lobby Bar and then it was off to finish the packing part of our carry on luggage. We came on with 4 bags and we leave with 6 bags, go figure! They disembark via colors and numbers and have you meet in various locations at a set time; we are at 10 a.m. at the Vista. Everything seems organized and the crew is still friendly, and we are hearing the final good-byes from many groups.

 

Last night was the final showing of “Motor City,” it is a dancing tribute to Motown and the Golden Princess Dancers did a pretty good job. The wife was picked to go on stage to dance for one of the love songs, so beware if you sit in the front row! Also was the Hula and Ukulele Masters show, where those that taken the classes during the cruise were able to show off their new talents. Being in the Explorer Lounge space was at a premium so we missed the show. We heard it was very good and are sorry we had to miss it. Also the passenger talent show was held, and we missed that one also. We heard they had 4 passengers that were willing to show case themselves. My hats off to those who are willing to get on stage to entertain us.

 

Well, I guess I will close this part and hope those that read this enjoyed hearing how our cruise went and hope we get to read on how things go on their cruises. Hope all going to and from this cruise travel safely and get to their destination.

 

Enjoy