Golden Princess Review

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North To Aaska ... In Style!

Review for Alaska Cruise on Golden Princess
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jewopaho
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: May 2011

PREFACE: This is a review of the Golden Princess, 5/21-5/28, 2011, round-trip Seattle, to Alaska's Inside Passage.We are Josie & Al, late 60's, semi-retired Realtors® residing in Houston, TX. This was our ninth cruise together (the second to Alaska) in just over three years, our seventh with Princess, all on different ships. It had always been our first choice when looking for a cruise. Our last Princess trip (Sapphire, March, 2010, round-trip LA, to the Mexican Riviera) was a huge disappointment. We had some issues we considered serious (so much so that we wouldn't want to sail Princess again), and notified the cruise line, photos and all. It took a while (over three months), but a Princess representative did contact us, and conceded that several matters needed prompt attention. She added that whatever could be rectified while the ship was in service would be attended to ... the remainder would be addressed when it goes to drydock in January of 2012. We considered this more than an appropriate response, and decided to give our once-favorite cruise line another shot. We're very glad we did. As is the case with most of my reviews, it's likely to be detailed (i.e. long), so please bear with me. I trust that it will provide some valuable information. I've divided it into components, with a rating of one to five stars for each.EMBARKATION: ** We arrived in Seattle the day before the cruise, and stayed with members of our travel club. After spending Saturday morning at the Pike St. Market, we arrived at the terminal around noon ... not exactly the best time (we generally plan to get there around 2:00), but the timing just didn't work this trip. Unlike most other boarding venues, there is no curbside luggage drop-off ... you've got to drag your baggage through an interminable line, where one (count 'em, one!) employee loads it onto a conveyor/screener. Then there's a Disney-esque snaking line that finally ends at the escalator to the second floor, where the actual boarding begins. This procedure combines the two most tedious aspects of cruising ... schlepping your luggage and waiting in line ... into one ordeal; and the cruise hasn't even begun yet! The security procedure was no better. This definitely needs work ... too many people in one place at the same time undergoing the lengthy process of checking baggage and passing muster. Once cleared, it was a piece of cake. Fortunately, we've achieved Platinum status, and were able to avail ourselves of "preferred" check-in. It took no longer than five minutes to verify our documents and receive our cards. From what others told me, it took a good half-hour before they were cleared to board. If there's an upside to all of this, we had our bags in record time ... one was actually there when we got to the room, the other two followed shortly thereafter. We were unpacked and ready to go by 2:00.HELPFUL HINT #1: Actually, there's a couple here. Your best arrival time is between 2:00 and 3:00. You'll avoid the rush, and boarding should be smooth. Don't worry, they won't run out of food. Unless you're coming from a short distance away, get to Seattle the day before the cruise at minimum, and/or purchase travel insurance. We spoke with several couples who missed the sailing due to an equipment problem with their plane, and had to join the cruise in Juneau. American Airlines assumed no responsibility for anything, and those without insurance had to eat about $500 per person (not including hotel accommodations) in order to catch up with the ship. THE GOLDEN PRINCESS: ***** The ship was launched in 2001, and totally redone in 2009. It is in excellent condition, and the added amenities (International Cafe, Vines Wine Bar, Movies Under the Stars, and the overall ambience of the Piazza) contributed greatly to our enjoyment. For you gelato fans ... sorry, it's not available; you'll just have to wait until you get to Juneau. Most Princess ships are similarly designed ... all theatres, lounges, clubs, etc. are on Deck 7; once you find your accommodations and dining room, much of your aimless wandering should be over. We've been on seven Princess ships, and find the consistency of the product to be a plus. Just to see how cruising has evolved (not necessarily improved), the Golden is a Grand Class ship (sister to the Grand and Star), weighing in at 109,000 gross tons, with a capacity of about 2600 passengers. By contrast, this is about half the size and passenger load of Royal Caribbean's two Monsters of the Seas. We've sailed larger ships, but find this size to our liking ... no long lines, no crowded feeling, no glitz ... essentially understated elegance.  We always book minimum accommodations (inside guarantee, Cat. N), and are invariably "upgraded." This time, we were assigned a Cat. I stateroom ... no problems whatsoever. We knew what to expect, and were fine with it. We had plenty of storage and hanging space, the bed was very comfortable (Josie has a back problem, and it was not an issue), and we made the bathroom work for us with just a little planning (showering individually is an absolute necessity). There was a question about the self-service laundry facilities being open while the ship is in Alaskan waters. They are; the ship complies with government regulations concerning water disposal. We'd sail the Golden again without hesitation.FOOD/DINING: **** As we've come to expect from Princess, food was generally tasty, well-prepared and nicely presented. What prevents a fifth star here is the Main Dining Room beef ... in a word, tough. If you're a steak lover, stay clear of the "always available" sirloin, or any other such item, and spend the bucks at the Crown Grill. I don't know whether it's intentional, but one bite of the stuff in the MDR will drive a beef eater toward the optional restaurant. Other selections were excellent ... seafood, chicken, other meats, vegetables (always perfectly prepared), appetizers, soups, salads and desserts were all nicely done. We didn't avail ourselves of either specialty restaurant, as we've never left a cruise ship dining room hungry. For those who long for crab legs ... yes, they're on the menu, but as an appetizer; so order two or three, and you'll have your main dish quantity. Lobster tails and prawns were served on the second formal night ... we had no problem consuming two portions each. The Horizon Court (buffet) was fine ... nothing outstanding, but a nice variety of decent food. Rarely did an item run out, and the staff was always there to serve drinks, clean the tables, remove dishes ... all were courteous and personable. The International Cafe had some of the tastiest morsels aboard ... from quiche to paninis to salads to mousse to fresh-baked cookies ... a wonderful place to snack, or even have lunch. Having cruised so often, formal nights no longer attract us. While we respect the wishes of others, about 25% of the men were without jackets and ties. We had anticipated having to dine at the buffet those two evenings, but we were seated in the dining room without a second thought. We've noticed this trend for quite some time, with each ensuing cruise becoming more casual. We can envision the time when "formal nights" become "formal-optional." HELPFUL HINT #2: Escargot is a special-request item ... ask your headwaiter a day in advance. If you selected Anytime Dining, just let your waiter know that you ordered them. Somehow they'll find their way to your table. Service was outstanding. We opted for Anytime Dining, and had dinner at all hours. There was never a wait, and every member of the dining room staff we encountered was courteous, efficient and highly professional. If you prefer a table for two, there might be a delay at busier hours. We enjoy dining with others, and met some lovely people. One of the unexpected perks of cruising frequently with one line is meeting some of the same staff several times. Our favorite headwaiter, Vejlko ("j" is silent) was aboard ... we'd been with him on the Dawn and Star, and he visited our table several times during the week. It made the experience just a bit more personal.THE STAFF: ***** Overall, this is probably the best group we've had in our seven Princess cruises ... not that the others weren't great; but everyone we came across was well-trained, courteous, personable, and eager to please. Our stateroom steward, Ronaldo, was absolutely amazing ... anticipated our needs before we even knew we needed something. He always told us to take our time leaving the stateroom ("You're on vacation; there's no need to rush.") and greeted us by name each time we saw him. The Cruse Director, Kelvin Joy, and his Deputy CD, Simon, were fine ... not among the elite in our experiences, but competent. The same holds true for their staff ... nothing special, but they didn't detract from our enjoyment. That morning TV show that all of the CD's do doesn't impress us ... and theirs was plain silly; not funny, but pretty lame. We saw about 10 minutes of one, and didn't tune back in for the rest of the cruise.I need to point out two persons for diametrically opposite reasons: the onboard naturalist, Michael Modzelewski (mod-je-les-key) was absolutely incredible. His passion for Alaska is evident in his every word (he actually lives part of the year on an island he purchased), and his four onboard lectures are not to be missed. He'll talk to you any time, and is gracious and accommodating. Incidentally, if the name sounds familiar to you old-time football fans ... yes, he's NFL-great Dick's son. The elder is now 85 and doing fine, by the way.Then there's Freddie, the port and shopping guide. She is by far the best I've ever seen ... almost had me believing her spiels about buying diamonds in Alaska for better prices than anywhere else. It doesn't seem to matter to these folks ... wherever we are, that's the best place in the world to shop. Having spent years in jewelry-related businesses, I'm a bit more astute than the average bear. I watched her presentation on TV while Josie was getting ready for dinner ... she's incredibly convincing, although I can factually dispute much of what she presented. She went as far as to state that, although there's a sales tax in Alaska, her "recommended" merchants would absorb it, thus effectively making any purchase "tax-free and duty-free." Yeah ... retailers will willingly eat another 6% or 7% of their profits, in addition to giving you rock-bottom prices, because Freddie sent you! Before we left home, I did a bit of research ... priced a pretty average loose one-carat round brilliant cut diamond (G-H color, VS2-SI1 clarity, very-good cut quality, etc.) through www.bluenile.com, an exceptionally reliable purveyor. The stones ran from about $6500 to $7000. I then stopped in at Diamonds International in Juneau, loupe in hand. Their opening prices were considerably higher, but a bit of negotiating might have reduced them to about where they were online (maybe) ... and more important, there would not be a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) certificate accompanying any of them, so the grading of the diamonds would be suspect at best. Of course, they offered to furnish "appraisals," which are absolutely worthless in determining value ... they're for insurance purposes, and written by the retailer. I didn't even bother with settings ... guaranteed there were no bargains there either. It never ceases to amaze me how people, who know absolutely nothing about precious stones, willingly plunk down tens of thousands of dollars, based on the say-so of an individual whose income is derived from the commission paid by the merchants ... ever wonder why you're asked what ship you're on? Incidentally, these "guides" are not cruise line employees, but independent contractors who make their own arrangements with the retailers for compensation ... that's why they steer you towards these businesses, who pay big bucks to the cruise lines to be on the "recommended" list. There's actually a school for shopping guides (www.portshopping.com). But then I digress ....ENTERTAINMENT: ** I must state from the outset that we're not fans of cruise ship production numbers. They're essentially the same ... a bunch of pretty talented kids given almost nothing to work with, in an effort to please as many passengers as possible. Of the three shows, the first two (Stardust and Words & Music) were essentially that ... disjointed presentations, songs unrelated to each other, costumes and choreography incidental to any musical material. The third, however, British Invasion, had a bit more substance, and is worth seeing. Of the three guest performers, comedians Carlos Oscar and Steve CartE, were at best forgettable. We saw Oscar on our Sapphire cruise and enjoyed him. Unfortunately, he wasn't on his A game this trip. How many times must we be reminded of the size of the showers and the gluttony in the dining venues? The magician, Alexander, was another holdover from our last cruise. His act remained basically unchanged ... everything from card tricks to tearing paper to using huge pieces of equipment. Before each of these feature illusions, he and his assistant, Tessa, performed some sort of mating ritual before she entered the mysterious device. We're pretty cynical about these things ... we know that they're rigged to create images of dismemberment, solids passing through solids, and an exchange of people locked inside a trunk. Rather than gawk in amazement, we figure that the devices were fabricated to create the illusions ... nothing magical about them.HELPFUL HINT #3: If at all possible, attend the later shows (10:15). You can arrive just before the curtain rises with no problem finding seats.There was also a show featuring crew members. Frankly, we could have done without it. While there are some talented people, the feature is the Cruise Director's staff performing several skits we've seen many times before. If you think that a grown man in a tutu with his rear end exposed is funny, you just might like it. We personally find it several steps down, and generally demeaning.The house musicians were a mixed bag. A Hungarian quartet featuring the unlikely combination of clarinet, violin, piano and bass was absolutely wonderful. A couple of solo pianists were also quite good. The club band, Passion, was ordinary at best. There was also the Rick Kilburn Quartet, a jazz-oriented group, which would have functioned far better as a trio. The fourth member, a vocalist, is a Sinatra wannabe, who was constantly off-key. We can't see how the other three musicians, who were marvelous, could not hear what we did ... and we weren't the only ones. The "street performers" who do their thing in the Piazza, are a nice touch ... very entertaining. Overall, we don't find Princess' entertainment any more than mediocre ... but we don't cruise to be entertained.THE PORTS: ***** We cruise to Alaska to see and do things that no other place can offer. Once again, we were not disappointed. Weather this time of year is a crapshoot, and every day started out pretty much the same ... drizzly and chilly. But things gradually cleared up, and conditions were never a factor. There are a couple of must-do activities for those of you who have never been there: whale-watching combined with a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau; the White Pass Railway excursion in Skagway, and for you adventurous folks, zip-lining in Ketchikan. There are, of course, trips of a more sedentary nature (lumberjack show, salmon hatcheries, etc.). Be aware that excursions in Alaska are expensive (the decent ones are well over $100 per person) ... but they're largely worth it. It's an amazing place. The highlight for us was the scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park. Several US Forest Service Rangers boarded the ship and acted as our guides ... we'd have loved it if Michael, our onboard naturalist, took over those duties; but the Rangers were fine. We did get to see what we came for ... glaciers "calving" (huge chunks of ice breaking off into the bay), wildlife (a huge brown bear, several bald eagles on the wing and at rest, pods of orcas and porpoises, and the major attraction, humpback whales in the process of migrating 3000 miles from Hawaii. After the Rangers left the ship, Michael acted as our lookout, and did a magnificent job. The majority of our all-day voyage was spent in bright sunshine, with temperatures in the 60's.HELPFUL HINT #4: The weather can be a bit nasty, especially in the morning. Head for Skywalkers Night Club (Deck 17, aft end), pull up a seat, and enjoy a panoramic view from a warm, strategically-located vantage point. Once the weather clears up, you can venture outside with just a jacket to keep you warm.DISEMBARKATION: ***** This was by far the easiest exit we've ever encountered. After breakfast, we waited in the area designated for Platinum Captain's Circle members ... really nice. We were in Sabatini's (the Italian specialty restaurant), where coffee and pastries (as if there wasn't enough to eat at breakfast) were served. Newspapers were also available. We were scheduled to leave the ship at 9:20, but were called just past 9:00. We quickly located our luggage and proceeded to the Customs station ... no lines, no delays. We were out of the terminal by 9:30. HELPFUL HINT #5: There is little difference in price between a cab and the Princess transfer for two to SeaTac International Airport ... we paid $46 including gratuity for a taxi; the transfer is $24 per person. We prefer the cab, since we leave as soon as we load up, don't stop along the way, and get there in plenty of time. It actually took us longer to go through airport security than it did to disembark the ship.CONCLUSION: There is no question about both our returning to Alaska and sailing with Princess again. Next season, the Golden will be alternating weeks between Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm ... makes a back-to-back a genuine possibility. Nobody we spoke with (save for those who missed the ship) had any negative comments. Judging from the stateroom cards with the passengers' names on them, there were huge numbers of first-timers aboard. This was verified at the Captain's Circle get-together ... 300+ Gold (one to five cruises), 135 Platinum (six to fifteen) and 15 Elite (more than fifteen). That's fewer than five hundred out of 2600. But we can guarantee that none of them enjoyed this cruise more than we did.

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