Golden Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Just Average

Review for Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Golden Princess
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ruswit
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Dec 2016
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Balcony

We chose this cruise because it departed from Melbourne. Although this was our seventh cruise it was our first with Princess. The embarkation was a bit of a shambles and it was obvious that although embarkation times were staggered, people just turned up at noon. Our mini suite was okay but I feel the one we had on HAL was better designed.

The safety briefing was okay but what happens if there is a fire and you cannot reach the muster station? Couldn't the lifeboat number be put on the back of the stateroom door with the other safety information. I realise the briefing probably follows a standard international format but it needs updating!

We departed Melbourne 2.5 hours late and arrived in Auckland 2.5 hours late. The captain announced that the reason for the late departure was high winds although they didn’t appear to have abated by the time we departed. Because of the late arrival and shortened visit some tours were cancelled. We caught the ferry to Davenport, wandered the town and ended up having a drink in a beer garden with some of the other passengers. We then visited Tauranga and had an excellent private visit to Rotorua. Our next stop was Gisborne where the ship anchored some distance from the wharf and we tendered ashore. There was not a great lot to see in the town. We returned to the ship and the wind began to get stronger. By the time the last tenders were arriving at the ship the wind was blowing strongly, the sea had risen and the tenders were being severely rocked about. Some passengers were drenched by the waves and some were quite upset by the rough sea. The ship sailed and the wind increased further. Overnight it reached force 12 (hurricane force) with 7 metre waves. The decks were closed off and a window was cracked on deck 7. Other windows were apparently broken on deck 4. The noise of the ship coming down on the waves kept us awake. Items fell off shelves and our shoes finished up in one corner. By midday the next day the wind had reduced to force 10 and the captain announced that we would not be going to Wellington as it was too rough.

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MB

Leaked! Needed some refurbishment.

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