Pre-Cruise - We stayed at the Westin Long Beach the day prior to our departure. It was a very nice hotel with very comfortable beds.

Embarkation - We headed to the port around 10:45 a.m. As soon as our entire group arrived, we went on in and did the paper work for our Sign & Sale cards. Because one of the couples in our group were Preferred Princess members, my husband and I were allowed to wait in a special area with them and enjoyed coffee and small pastries. After a short wait, we boarded the ship. We were aboard and in our cabins by 11:30. We decided to go to the buffet to eat before it got crowded.

This was my 10th cruise. I found the Golden Princess relatively easy to find my way around compared some of the other ships I've been on. The pools were good and seems to have plenty of seating. The Vista Lounge and the Princess Theatre were nice for shows; however, we only saw two of the comedians that were on board who were quite good. We did not see any of the Princess productions themselves. Read more