This was the first cruise for our party of five: The in-laws, husband, daughter, and myself. Being the nerd that I am I spent a lot of time on CC before the cruise and I have to say I am so glad I did. Do your homework and you will be well prepared. I am also really glad that I kept an open mind despite having read some negative reviews on here. The Golden was very good to us!
Yes you can tell that the ship is a little older but the public areas are all very well maintained. Yes there were rusts, paint chips, and stains - but it was mostly on the balcony and other open air spots and they are barely noticeable! Because I read all about the "worn down" look of the Golden on here I was specifically looking for these blemishes and really it did not bother us at all. The piazza and the lounges and the dining rooms are beautiful. The pools were all heated and the hot tubs plenty.
As for the service - it was as good as I could have possibly asked for. Sure there were a very small handful of less-than-enthusiastic crew but the majority are friendly and helpful. Our waiter and junior waiter were amazing and I would absolutely recommend doing traditional dining if you could manage it. I loved developing a bond with them and the one day that we had to go to anytime dining it just didn't feel quite right - it was more rushed and the ambiance was not there.