!st Time Golden Cruiser

L

LACOOP

Guest
We are considering going on the Pricess Golden Cruise ship next fall. Have always done RCCL. I have a couple of questions I am hoping someone can answer for me. First, can you bring liquor on board? Is all liquor confiscated until the last day like it is on RCCL? Can you buy drink cards? Are the prices reasonable? Are there coin laundry machines? How does the tipping work? What kind of amenities do you get for the mini-suite room? Is it worth the extra money from an oceanview balcony room? Overall how does the princess line compare to Royal Caribbean? We are in our mid-50's so we are not looking to "party." We like to relax but be able to stop at ports to see and do things and then relax when we want to. Are there alot of kids? I guess that's enough for now. Any help would be truly appreciated.
Thanks!
 
E

Einstein

Guest
U can bring liquor in your checked luggage jsut make sure U bubble wrap it and then double ziplock bag it. Any liquor purchased in ports will be confiscated for the most part. The reason I say the most part is it depends on who is heading up the security as I have seen one day where ALL of it is confiscated and the next they let everything thru. For instance on Our 10 Day Dawn P cruise in Jan. the y held a bottle of Coconut Rum for me that I purchased in Barbados. Two days later I had a 6 botlle carry case purchased in St. Maarten consisting of Absolut, Crown Royla, and Balvenie Single Malt and they let mw carry it right to the cabin. So go figure but I will say that most liquor purchases are being held now. They do sell soda drink cards for $20 for the entire week. Yes there are coin laudry facilities onboard. Mini-Suite Amenities will be a no more than your standard fare cabin except for the additional cabin amenities which are a larger cabin with a nice sitting area and 2 TV's. I myself prefer the Caribe Outside Double Cabins with a Large semi-covered balcony that are less costly. As for whether they are worth it strickly depends on your preferences. We spend little time inside the cabin and more time on the balcone when we have on so therefore we opt for a better balcony even if it means sacrificing in the cabin size and amenities. Below is a photo of the mini-suite I was in to give U some idea of the layout. While both cruiselines are VERY Good we ourselves prefer Princess for the 24 Hour Freshwater Pools / Hot Tubs and the Free internet access we receive form Our Playinum Captains Circle status. The # od kids depends on the time of your sailing but the nice thing with the Golden or any Grand Class ship of Princess is that they have some specific separate areas for Adults Only (Terrace Aft Pool) and a nicely segregated area for the kids so they will seem to be invisible many times. BY avoiding the Holiday times (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Presidents Day, Easter) will also alot U a better chance of avoiding a higher $# of kids. Good Luck!!!


<img src=http://a1.cpimg.com/image/D9/72/1479641-d75f-02000157-.jpg>

<img src=http://a2.cpimg.com/image/16/74/1479702-6fff-02000157-.jpg>


.
 
P

p.g.

Guest
Princess has a "limit" on the number of children on board so even during traditional kid busy times you won't notice it being over run with kiddies.

Wine and champane can be openly brought on board, it's just liqours and beer they restrict .Many smuggle it on board.
 
G

gram

Guest
We were on the Golden last December and really enjoyed it. We had a mini suite on the emerald deck. My spouce and I are in our 60's and spent alot of time using our suite. I love the extra room and sitting out on our balcony. One work of caution, if you decide to book a mini suite get the AD category on the Emerald Deck. They are completely private with a roof over head. You can still sit out there if it is raining. The other mini suites are on the Dolphin Deck and that deck is completely exposed to the decks above. There is no roof over their balconies.

We are traveling in a couple weeks on the Grand sister ship of the golden and again booked a mini suite on the Emeral Deck.

We did not see alot of children when we were on the Golden. But the ones we did see where very well behaved. Princess does limited the number of children on a cruise.

One of the other things I really enjoyed about Princess is the Personal Choice dining. It was great (stress free) to eat when and where you want. Not having to be on a time table.

You will enjoy the Golden.
 
C

CruiseAholic

Guest
If you want liquor for in-room consumption, you may want to consider the option of just ordering it thru room service.

I have the assignment of remembering (or attempting to) to find out the prices/sizes of the liquor offered via room service, as I sail next week on the Coral Princess.
 
K

Kathy & Dave

Guest
We just got off the Golden last week. It is a beautiful ship! We saw a dumpster full of carpet scraps. Many areas were recently renovated. It still looks as good as it did in March 2002. They must have done it while traveling from NY to FLL, as there were no passengers disembarking when it arrived.

Princess is not the "party ship" like some of the others are. There were not alot of kids, maybe because school hasn't been in session too long? We usually bring some booze wrapped up as stated in the previous posts. We always stay a day before/after the cruise and don't pack it until we're boarding the ship. I didn't keep the price list for in-room consumption, but the Bacardi was about $20. Laundry: wash is $1.00 (takes 1/2 hr), dry is $0.50 (takes 45 min). Best time to do laundry is on port days, when many people are off the ship.

I can't comment on mini-suites, we've had BA and BB balconies. Last one was an aft cabin C753 and it was awesome! The room itself was standard size, but the balcony was huge and very private. Only had one neighbor, and only heard them out on their balcony once the whole week. I will look for a similar one next time I sail Princess.

Enjoy!
 
S

sodostan

Guest
I am in my mid-50's and Princess is my favorite cruise line. We recently cruised on the Grand. It is not a "party-ship" in that I never saw people walking around in various states of inebriation, but everyone was having a good time. I think "sedate" is the right word. When compared with Carnivale, Princess offers a quieter, more laid-back atmosphere.

Tipping is automatically withdrawn on a daily basis from your shipboard account. If you want to tip less (or more), contact the Purser's Office and let them know the amount to deduct daily.

I thought the overall service was excellent. We had second seating in the Boticelli dining room.
 
M

MARIAPD719

Guest
So is this a bad choice for 4 people in their mid to upper 20s. I have sailed rccl 3 times and their nightlife varies from ship to ship. ill their be anyone in the disco at night? I mean we re not looking for 20 yoa kids to party with but rather the 30 and over typr group who liketo dance and have a good time,. Did we pick the wrong ship?
 
K

Ken_2001

Guest
No I wouldn't say you picked a "wrong Ship" More laid would be a more appropriate way to put it.

My wife and I are 26 and 35 respectively. I wouldn't say we have enormous exposure but we have sailed on Carnival Legend and I can compare a little. And she, Regal Empress. (Now Defunct)

We've Sailed on the Golden in October for the Canada/New England run. And Eastern Carribean 8 day cruise in late May/ Early June. We've found the average age group to be late 30's to 70's. Carnival Legend had I'd say 20's through 70's. Very few kiddies on either cruise. School was in session and besides, we planned it to be that way.

We do not drink what-so-ever save for a nice glass of wine with our dinners. Two things we feel ruin our vacations are boozers and kiddies. Don't need any of that. Legend had a small group, I'd say mid 20's who were obviously drunk and did ruin a show for us. Without going into too much detail I did inform the cruise director and let's just say he took care of them real fast. But enough with that stuff. Our experience on Carnival Legend was magnificent to say the least.

Our experience on the Golden was just very relaxing, not as much activity, the most "happening" place as far as night life was the "Skywalkers Lounge" way up high at the back of the ship. You;ll get superb views from here. It is a Disco at night that closed at around 3 AM

But anyway, no you didn't pick the wrong ship. You'll have a wonderfull time. And remember, a cruise is what you make it.
 
Top