Golden Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Exceeded Expectations

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Golden Princess
User Avatar
Cleos Maw
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2011

First, I'd like to say that this cruise exceeded my expectations. I've previously sailed with Carnival, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean. I was apprehensive about having four days at sea between Los Angeles and Hawaii. Although I have "Couch Potato" tendencies, I like to do a lot on vacation. Princess did a great job keeping me busy. I don't think anyone in our group of eight got bored. Most of the passengers were in their 50s and up, although there were a few children and younger folks too, even some honeymooners. They have special programs for children but we didn't have children with us so I can't say more about it. Entertainment was appropriate for the baby boomer age group. There was a good range of activities, crafts, lectures, movies, trivia games, production shows, lounge shows, Pop star singing contests, port talks, dance lessons (3 kinds), bingo, and tons of things to do. The production shows were quite good and they had had a good variety of other entertainers. They had several comedians, a hypnotist, illusionist, ventriloquist, and an awesome harmonica virtuoso, Bernie Fields. Bernie was the big surprise as he can play anything on a harmonica and was fabulous. There were other entertainers around the ship at varying times including comedians, the Rubin Cafe Quintet, Elua (Hawaiian), pianist, as well as others. In Honolulu we had a group of children (6-13 years old) come aboard ship and perform in the evening. Since this was a cruise to Hawaii, they offered Hula lessons and ukulele lessons on sea days. This was really a nice perk. I opted for the ukulele lessons and they were great and free. Even have beginners can play a song after the first lesson. These classes were quite popular so get there early. The final show of the cruise featured the finalists of the Pop star singing competition. After the singers, the hula and ukulele students performed. So fun to get the passengers involved. Overall, I thought the ship was very nice. We loved the Piazza. There was often live music and complimentary pastries. Cookies were self service but you asked the guy behind the counter for the other pastries, soup, sandwiches, quiche and salads. This is one area where you pay for coffee, but for $1 it was worth it. They also have fancy coffee drinks and a bar. Cabin: My complaint was my bed but that was quickly resolved. It was way too firm for me and others in our group were not happy with their beds. My problem was resolved by having a foam pad added on the bed. Don't hesitate to let them know if you have a problem. Otherwise the room was a decent size with adequate storage. We had twin beds and each had a nightstand with drawers and a lamp. In the cabin there was a refrigerator, blow dryer, desk with chair, plus another chair, TV, and a safe, but no radio or clock. Bathroom had full size soap, mini shampoo, conditioner and lotion. Also, we never had a problem getting hot water for showers. Food and service: Overall the food was good. I enjoyed the buffet for breakfast, especially the made to order omelets which I preferred over the scrambled egg offerings. They had other specialty egg dished that I didn't try but heard were good. They always had American bacon, English bacon and sausages. Lots of fresh fruit available and good pastries. Pastries and desserts are an area where they shine. Food at the Piazza was good too. We also tried room service a few times for breakfast. It was always in the time range we selected. We tried the dining room for breakfast twice and it was good both times. We had lunch in the buffet, Piazza, Crown Grill for Pub lunch, and by pool. Everything was good. The only one that stands out in my mind was the Pub lunch. I enjoyed the fish and chips and also the English Trifle. Actually, lunch in the Piazza with live music was pretty cool too. By the pool they have really creamy, yummy ice cream. We tried the afternoon tea once and it was quite nice but since we had the early dinner seating we didn't make it back again. We had early, traditional seating in one of the dining rooms. There was a lot of variety including beef, fish, turkey, chicken, lamb, frog legs, lobster, and escargot. They had some other items available every night too. Some of the potato side dishes were a bit strange. It was whale season so we had room service for all 8 of us one night and we were able to watch for whales near Lahaina from the balcony rooms. We ate in the Crown Grill one night too. I think it was worth the additional $ if you're a beef lover as the beef in the dining room was a bit disappointing. If you love chocolate and are in the Crown Grill, don't miss the molten chocolate dessert. If you get hungry after the shows, don't expect the huge midnight buffets of the old days. There is food available but on a more limited scale in the buffet. Service was quite good everywhere on the ship. There was always someone to pick up your dishes. Also, there was no problem getting drinks but also you didn't feel hounded to buy a drink like some other cruise lines. Room steward did a great job too.Ports and shore excursions: We had a full day tour of Oahu. It included a stop at the Dole Plantation, photo opportunity at the Mormon temple, a drive along the North Shore, lunch and tour of the Polynesian Cultural Center. Our driver, Cousin Duke, made sure we got to see four of the villages and got good seats to see the parade of boats with dancers from each tribe. Two very active seniors in our group did zip lining on Kauai. They said it was very easy and loads of fun. They've zip lined before and thought this was a safe place to do it. The rest of us went "tubing the ditches" of a former sugar plantation. It was fun but I feel overpriced. It was not difficult to do but be sure to have something to protect your feet. You can get scratched up on the lava walls of the tunnels. Everyone looked like they had a good time on this tour and you don't have to be too adventurous to do it. If you want to see a lot of the island, this is probably not the tour for you. We had a leisurely day in Lahaina as we didn't take any tours that day. Ha, Ha, they got our money in the shops instead. We lunched at Cheeseburger in Paradise but plan on a wait with the ship in port. We did another full day tour on the big island of Hawaii. We stopped at Big Island Candies where they were lots of free samples and there are lots of tasty items to buy, but same some $ for the final stop of the day at the Moana Loa Macadamia factory. The stop at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was too short. You have to rush to see all of it but it's a very interesting garden with lots of plants you may have never seen. We had a delicious buffet lunch then headed to the volcano and later to a lava tube. Ensenada, Mexico: I stayed on the ship in this port as I've been there several times before and wanted plenty of time to pack my already full suitcase. However, since I've been there before I'd recommend a tour with a Folklorico show as those were always good. If you want to go to La Bufadora (the blow hole), just be aware to get to the blowhole you have to walk through a shopping area with shops on both side where you have people wanting you to buy their items. You may or may not enjoy this. Be ready to haggle over prices.Disembarkation: We were among the last people to get off as we were locals and had our own transportation scheduled for a bit later in the morning. We were with Platinum members so we got to wait in one of the dining rooms and enjoy coffee and pastries while waiting. Overall I was very pleased with my first cruise experience with Princess and would definitely sail with Princess again.

Cabin Review

Ample closet, bed was too firm but room steward took care of that by adding an extra pad. Was a quiet location, nice size room with desk, refrigerator, TV, and safe. Night stand and drawers for each bed. This room had an obstructed view but it wasn't bad. Near elevators and stairs but not too close. Self service laundry room was down the hall so quite convenient.

previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.