First, the good. Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly. The Room Steward and The Wait Staff were generally very good. The Princess land excursions were well organized, with one exception. On the tour of Alcatraz, we were told to walk to the pier which was nearby, and a Princess Representative would meet us. The group of about 50 waited about 15 minutes and nobody from Princess arrived. Finally, one person in our group walked back to the Golden Princess and managed to get a Princess Rep. to take some action'
The food was VERY average both at the buffet and dining room. Food that was meant to be served hot, was cold, or at best just warm. My biggest complaint however was with Select (anytime) dining. We called each morning for a reservation for 5:30 PM. When we arrived at the Dining Room at 5:20 PM and requested a table-for-two, we were told that there were none available. This happened EVERY night. We were told that we could wait but that we would not be seated for about 45 minutes.
The condition of The Golden Princess is a bit "seedy", with a definite "worn" look. New carpet was put down, and there were slivers of new carpet strewn about the ship and elevators for a few days.
A bit worn. Cracks in bathroom mirror. No interactive TV where you could order room service, view your bill, etc.