A cruise review
Princess Golden Princess, Eastern Caribbean itinerary
March 30 - April 6, 2002

We didn’t know much about Princess, and honestly we were hoping Carnival or Celebrity would come through with some competitive prices for the week, but they didn’t. Still, past passenger reviews of the Golden were generally good, so we thought it would be quite nice. We were right.

My recently retired mother joined us this time for her first cruise, so we booked a balcony cabin for Annie and her and an inside cabin for my wife and me. The inside was inexpensive, and we knew we’d all use the balcony.

We had done the express check-in tasks from the Princess web site’s Cruise Personalizer. The only paperwork remaining was to complete our Bahamas immigration card.

Smart designers: they avoided one huge pool/stage complex amidships in favor of smaller pool and lounge areas spread over the entire length of the vessel. We didn’t get that crammed in feeling, even on sea days when everyone was looking for a deck chair with a pool view. Shows were spread over several venues as well: the Princess Theater, the Vista Lounge, and the Explorers’ Lounge all had full stages, impressive lighting and sound equipment, and good sight lines. Toss in several dining facilities, 22 bars, and lots of other public areas and you’ll picture why the ship really doesn’t seem crowded most of the time.

Elevators were fast and effective. Not all elevators went all the way down to Deck 5, and neither did the stairs. The maps didn’t help much, but what the heck, getting lost and then regaining your bearings is part of the fun.

This ship’s interior was a looker. Not as glitzy or as "themed" as Carnival, more like a very nice hotel: lots of pastels, polished light wood, marble and brass, tasteful artwork, heavily sculpted rugs, and colorful mosaic tiled pool areas. The atrium wasn’t particularly imposing at only three levels high, but the marble staircases were dramatic, especially when the classical quartet or pianist was playing (which was much of the time.) The casino was huge (13,500 square feet.) I found many quite places to relax with a book from their library (try the atrium bar with its comfortable chairs and low level view of the ocean sloshing by.)

Kids and teens had their own private areas, which looked inviting with hot tubs, pools, and playground type setups for the little ones.

Almost everyone on board was American. We saw a few children and teens. Smokers weren’t a problem, although the "olfactory wake" from some big-time smelly cigar smokers was noticeable a few times.

The cabin itself was the smallest we’ve had, with barely enough room to walk around the two beds made up as a queen. Not really uncomfortable, but no sofa and not much room to use the little chair provided. The bathroom was really tiny – you could honestly sit on the toilet, brush your teeth over the sink, and wash the left half of your body in the plastic shower, all at the same time. It reminded me (not altogether pleasantly) of a weekend stay I once had in a Winnebago. I missed the large, tiled showers we’ve had on other cruises. Still, the storage space was good (tons of hanger space, although not many drawers,) and we had a nice TV with several channels of good reception, a refrigerator, an electronic safe, and good lighting. Overall, the cabin was just fine, just a bit cozy.

The balcony cabin was virtually identical, maybe a bit larger except for the bathroom. Princess had upgraded Mom and Annie to Caribe Deck 10, on which all balconies are double sized (maybe 10 by 10 feet, although the outer half is exposed to levels above.) The balcony had a round table, two regular chairs, and two reclining chairs. Overall a very nice location to pass the time.

The Princess brochure promised a music system, but there wasn’t one. Also, it stated that Nickelodeon is on the TV, but I don’t think it was. No big deal, but if these items are important to you, ask.

I slipped Mom’s cabin steward Edwill a few extra dollars to make sure he took extra special care of Annie and her. Not only was he the friendliest I’ve seen so far, he did a great job, even going to the trouble to hang Annie’s wet bathing suits on the shower clothesline.

Tip: to get bathrobes and fruit in your cabin, just ask your cabin steward.

1. Eat lunch.
2. Walk around completely lost (with camcorder rolling) trying to find our way around.
3. Keep checking our watch to await the dreaded lifeboat drill followed by the exciting sailaway.
4. Wait forever on our luggage to be delivered.

I enjoy every minute of a cruise, so it was nice to be on board and settled in before noon. We headed up to Horizon Court (Deck 14) for the welcome aboard lunch.

First surprise of the cruise: we thought Princess’s food (especially the buffets) was better than either Celebrity or Carnival, even though their reviews aren’t usually good. Beats us why, although we don’t claim to be gourmets.

The buffet area was very attractive and functional. As others have observed, it wasn’t just one long line, but rather "pods" of items: salads, fruit, hot items, breads, etc. This occasionally resulted in "who’s got the right of way" congestion, but generally it allowed you to get what you wanted quickly and easily.

The welcome aboard buffet was very nice: carved to order strip loin of beef, oven browned potatoes and other fresh vegetables, fried scallops, salads, desserts, and many other items. They even had our favorite dessert: little "tartlets" with custard and fresh grapes, melon, and berries. This meal was as good as any sit-down dinner we've had on any cruise, and was a good omen.

The buffet area was always very well staffed with friendly servers eager to pick up dirty dishes or bring drinks (even ones you could have gotten yourself, such as water.) The views were great and the seating was very comfortable.

If you’re a soda drinker, Princess charges $1.00 per glass or $1.50 per can, plus 15% gratuity, a pretty good deal compared to other lines. But, for $17.50, you can get an unlimited soda sticker for the week, including gratuity (from any server or bar, excluding only room service and Princess Cays.) Ask for a "large" and you’ll get big glass (32 ounces or so.) Sure, it would be nice if Princess gave soda away, since it costs them almost nothing, but until they (and their competitors) start doing that, this is a very good deal if you drink more than a couple each day. It beats lugging them on board and looking for ice constantly.

We were also pleased to see that bar charges were very reasonable, arguably even cheap: $3.25 for the cocktail of the day and $3.95 for most other drinks (12 ounce glass) all the way up to $7.00 for a massive drink (maybe a quart?) of almost anything. That’s one big pina colada or daiquiri, and they make them good. We don't generally drink alcohol, but nothing beats a frozen colorful drink with fruit stuck into it when in the Caribbean.

For the kids or non-drinkers, the "mocktails" are a steal at $2.00 for a regular up to $3.50 for the quart behemoth mentioned above. Try the Stralada (half pina colada mix, half strawberry daiquiri mix) or the Princess Smoothie (with fresh banana.)

Surprise: our luggage was delivered before 2:00! Bravo, Princess. Last time on Carnival, it was sometime after 8:00 and we wore shorts to the first night’s dinner.

Another surprise: Princess’s staff is the friendliest we’ve encountered. We never passed an employee (whether an officer, bartender, maintenance person, or entertainer) who failed to smile and say hello. Some probably spoke little English otherwise, but their greetings seemed warm and sincere.

Still another nice surprise: for the lifeboat drill, all we had to do was report to our muster station (the very comfortable Princess Theater) with lifejackets in hand (not on) and listen to directions. No going outside and cramming together for several faint-inducing minutes.

Sailaway from Fort Lauderdale is always fun: lots of people waving from the beach and condos. Someone even had a huge Princess logo banner waving onshore.

Golden Princess has three main dining rooms. One offers traditional dining at a prearranged table and time. The others offer Anytime Dining – you can eat at any time between 5:30 and 9:00 (I think those are the times) with whomever you like, much like a restaurant. Just show up when you’re ready or make a reservation in advance and request a particular waiter’s section if you want. You’ll be seated immediately if a table is available, or asked to wait at the bar for a few minutes if not.

We chose Personal Choice because we wanted a table for just the four of us, but with the option to eat with others. We also wanted to find a waiter that we enjoyed, and with some flexibility to dine around shows and shore excursions.

It worked great for us. We’re early eaters, so the first couple of days we just showed up at the Bernini dining room at between 5:30 and 6:00 and were immediately seated at a table for four. We enjoyed the service of Sebastian and George so much that we reserved their section for the rest of the week. And, we never waited for a table at all.

1. It’s convenient: no fumbling for cash and envelopes at the end of the cruise.
2. It makes it harder for ingrates who somehow feel that skipping the last night’s dinner relieves them of the obligation to tip for service rendered all week by staff whose livelihood is based on tips (whether you agree with that compensation method or not.)
3. While the $10 per day is billed to your account, you can adjust this amount (up or down) at any time by seeing the purser. So, you retain the option to tip in any manner you choose.

We were worried that with automatic tipping (it’s really not, but I’ll call it that for simplicity) we might get treated indifferently by the dining room staff. Absolutely not the case – the waiter and assistant waiters on Golden were more personable, caring, and amusing that on any cruise we’ve been on.

Dinner offered a variety of items, some mildly adventurous (rabbit, pheasant, bold pasta dishes, and creative soups.) Prime rib and steak were good, lobster tails excellent, and just about everything else very nicely done. Many fresh vegetables were served. For the banquet style dining offered by all large cruise ships, it probably can’t be done much better. And remember, your waiter knows what people have liked or disliked in the past, so ask what’s good.

Some items we enjoyed: soufflés three nights for dessert (Grand Marnier, chocolate, and passion fruit,) fruit appetizers with Kirsch or champagne dressing, and all of the soups (garlic veloute, pepper pot, pasta fagioli, and French onion.) Fresh bread was always on the table, although served at room temperature. And, for those desiring simple food, the menu includes "Always Available" items such as grilled steak, chicken, salmon, Caesar salad, cheesecake, ice cream, and the Love Boat Dream dessert (chocolate mousse, basically.) Wine selections started at around $18.

Breakfast buffets were nice and varied somewhat: several kinds of potatoes, omelets, eggs, meats, fruits, pastries, and lots of other items. Good bacon, and great English sausage the one day they had it. Lunch was often creative or surprisingly generous: carved prime rib or fresh turkey, shrimp cocktails, beautifully presented sushi with all the accompaniments, and hot items such as pastas, curries, and seafood. Desserts were nicely decorated cakes, fruit tarts, fresh baked cookies, and fruit. Since we never ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room, I can’t report on how that went.

The buffet was open around the clock, serving full dinner-type menus in the evening (prime rib, seafood, soups, breads, vegetables, salads, hamburgers and other sandwiches, and many desserts.) No specific midnight or theme buffets were offered, although the buffet had some interesting items on Tropical Island Night.

We used room service for simple breakfast foods and the occasional snack. Nicely prepared, fast, and well presented. Pizza and hot sandwiches were offered during limited hours out by the pool (hamburgers, bratwurst, knockwurst, hot dogs, and chicken.) I grabbed a burger there once and it was really good, and the pizza was very good if you like thick, soft crust.

The best show was the cooking demonstration by the very personable and amusing executive chef – real, live cooking on stage, with recipes and followed by a galley tour. If you watch Food TV, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Lots of activities were listed in the Princess Patter, but we skipped most of them (having long since become disinterested in art auctions and bingo.) Still, the activities were at least as ambitious as those of other cruise lines, even though Princess has a reputation for drawing a somewhat older demographic. They even run movies in the Princess Theater.

For older teens, not many activities are offered (on Princess or any other cruise line, in our experience.) The teens basically need an excuse to meet each other so they can "hang out," and did so on Golden.

At St. Maarten, we took a taxi tour for $20 each right from the pier, which included 45 minutes in Marigot on the French side (highly recommended: quaint shops and restaurants, not crowded, everything in French) and a stop at Orient Beach (beautiful beach, although the "clothing optional" should be made mandatory for some of its devotees!)

Liquor prices were low in St. Maarten, so we stocked up on Grand Marnier and rum at great prices (much cheaper than on St. Thomas.) St. Maarten also had the only casinos on the trip. We played slots at Coliseum Casino, at which one of Barb’s nickels returned $19, allowing us to leave in the black. Too bad the slots on the ship didn’t pay out this well.

We did the usual at St. Thomas: a bit of shopping at Jewels Forever, the flea market, and a taxi tour of the entire island (Mountain Top, Magen’s Bay, Red Hook, etc.) for around $17 each. Thankfully it wasn’t too hot or crowded, since only Golden Princess and Disney Magic were in port.

Princess Cays was a great stop. They called it a private island, but it wasn’t really: it’s just a fenced off section of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, about 20 acres or so leased by Princess and developed nicely as a cruise stop. Lots of cushioned chairs, hammocks, palm trees, thatch roof shaded areas, bars, live tropical music, and picnic pavilions with grilled items and fruit. The water was brilliant turquoise, the drinks were cold and delivered to our shady chairs on the beach, and the sand was white and fine. Throw in a cool breeze, water sports, some local craft vendors and hair braiders, and clean restrooms and you’ve got the perfect tropical stop, plus you could still use your cruise card for drinks and equipment rental. Princess Cays was a fine, relaxing finish to our cruise.

The photographers did a great job, especially on formal nights and on Princess Cays. But, the formal prints were $21.95, so we didn’t buy any. Candids were a little better at $7.25, and we had coupons for a free one each from Princess (I think every passenger gets a coupon.)

Sunday of our cruise week was Easter, and Princess did a bang-up job of offering church services and a huge chocolate Easter egg display in the atrium (the eggs must have weighed 20 pounds each.)

The elevators were faster and more reliable than those of other ships. We walked far fewer stairs than we have in the past.

The onboard shops were nice, but more limited than on Carnival, especially for lower priced souvenirs. Liquor selections were very limited and offered only on Friday, so I recommend buying in St. Maarten.

We thought everything was excellent, a bit more upscale than Carnival, but still fun. Employees were unbelievably friendly and efficient, the ship was beautiful, and Princess Cays was a lot of fun.

How does Princess compare to Celebrity and Carnival? I can’t comment fairly on Celebrity since it’s been awhile since we cruised on them, although I did like the other two lines better. Princess is a bit more conservative and upscale than Carnival, with fewer first-time cruisers and no hairy legs contests or conga line waiters.

For flat-out fun and partying, Carnival is probably a better choice, especially for teens, and its cabins are bigger. But, I did like Princess Cays and the general friendliness of staff, and the pricing couldn’t be beat for this particular week. The food’s better on Princess, and I would expect fewer kids and obnoxious drunks on board, so you can have a quieter, more relaxing week.

So, I’d rate it a tossup. Given the choice of the newer Princess ships (Golden and Grand) vs. new Carnival ships (Triumph, Pride, Spirit, etc.) I would probably go with whichever offered the better price. Each has their own personality, and we like them both very much. I expect the older we get, the more we'll gravitate to Princess, Holland America, or Celebrity.