DW and I just got off the Golden Princess after a short three-day getaway cruise. This was our 15th cruise overall and eighth in a row on Princess. The main reason we went on this cruise was to celebrate DW’s sister’s hubby’s recent retirement. Embarkation was relatively smooth. We arrived around 1430 hours and were on the ship in about 20 minutes after walking into the terminal. We did have to park at an overflow lot because the lots around the terminal were all full. I was told there were 3 ships that sailed before us which filled up all the lots.

For this cruise, we had what is listed as a Vista Suite (C751). I think they use to be called the “Premium Suites.” BIL & SIL had the adjoining PH suite (C749). Here is the thing that confuses me. The PH’s pictures show the balcony as being smaller with the cabin being bigger. What we saw was the exact opposite. Our balcony was noticeably narrower that C749 but our cabin seemed noticeably larger. Our cabin attendant (sorry but I cannot remember his name) started out kind of strange but he, overall, was very good. All other crew members always had a smile on their faces and were more than willing to help when needed.

The Golden overall seems to be holding up rather well for being a 14 year old ship. We sailed on her to Hawaii in 2011 so we were well acquainted with her layout. All public areas seemed in a good state of repair. I was told the ship is going in for a two-week dry dock after the 10-day cruise that started today. I did see some wear and tear and rust but the Golden is in the water 24/7 365 days a year. Read more