Golden Princess sets a low expectation for cruise holiday so it will make sure appreciate your next cruise and avoid getting talked down on by crew members.
Layout of the cruise maximizes inconvenience, deprives elderly from water and makes a mediocre dinning experience as it's not a centralise/multi level restaurant.
Entertainment, requires you to get there early for the seat but the shows are underwhelming. No variety like magic, comedy or anything like that. Just se nalstalgic classic music and some dancing.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
A little chaotic and staff didn't seem to empathize with first timers as I watch them lose patience with some passengers during security.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Buffet requires patience as tables are limited and for elderlies it is hard to get seated near the food. The beverage dispenser malfunctioned a few times but were repaired quite quickly.
Restaurant experience at the designated dinner venue in Canaletto. The waiters at the entrance sprayed hand sanitizer all over my grand fathers clothes then was rejected for in appropriate formal ware on the second day. His jacket was ruined and we were rejected for lack of presentation. The staff (I won't be naming him because he can't defend himself based on just my experience) was rude and condescending about the situation until the head waiter intervened to de-escalate.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The gym is quite adequate but not the biggest I've seen on a cruise.
Kid's basketball court is horribly located behind the main exhaust of the ship. So if the cruising speed drops the diesel exhaust floats low enough to be dangerous especially for kids. Table tennis area is nice but the lighting is not enough for it to be playable in the evening.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Entertainment was less than impressive. The performances weren't that exciting. Best performers were the Tasmanian Police bag pipe and Irish dancers.The worst show was the Blues Brothers. Final show had ship crew show off their talent and the whole time the Canadian show host just made fun of how many Filipino performers they were, how small/cute some of the male performers were and how they can fit in her pocket...
Children's Programs
No kids in my group
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
During security drill one of the male staff didnt allow us to use the lifts with my grandparents (92 and 88) forced us to split up until his colleague stepped in to allow us to go together. The male staff then exchanged in Russian language which was quite rude. Unbelievably disappointing encounter.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Layout of the ship is not convenient. There are no water stations around the decks. So you are either at the mercy of the room services (not always responsive) or you will need to travel to the top deck (buffet) to get water or the lowest deck cafe.
The dining rooms are all separate so it means there are no performances or entertainment during dinner.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
It says it was refurbished in 2015 and we got a nice room with a large balcony. But take a look at the photos (if it uploads correctly as I'm on my mobile). Terrible presentation, aged carpet, worn out vents, peeling mirror edges, faded carpets, blocked shower drain and dirty walls.
Ship tip
Line up early to get a table, don't argue with small minded crew who wields a little bit of authority. Bring a water bottle because water is a long walk away. Room service or maintenance line is not the quickest and I waited 25min in queue on the maintenance line.
we are going on our second cruise aboard the golden princess in Feb and I am looking forward to it our first one was awesome and I trust the second will be also... I guess as the saying goes " you can't please all the people all of the time, but you can please some of the people most of the time" any trip is only as good as you make it...
We have cruised on Golden Princess once before and are going on her again in three weeks. This review sounds like there was nothing on this ship that you liked. The food, service, entertainment, water stations, cabins and staff were all below your expectations. Maybe you should never cruise again if you had so many complaints. We have never encountered rude staff and we don't mind walking to water stations when required.
MaverickCruise, this is a review page. It is intended to reflect passengers experiences. If you don’t want to read opinions then you are probably on the wrong site.
I have been on Golden Princess too and whilst it's not my favourite ship it's what we make of the cruise that makes the difference. If you want first class waiting on then maybe Chrystal Symphony or similar is for you. The staff are wonderful and put up with alot of difficult and argumentive people. Some people are not happy unless they complain which it sounds like here. If you can't go with the flow, then maybe don't cruise. Sometimes we have to work on having a good time not just sit back and expect everything to be handed to us without input on our part. 🚢
Sounds like cruising might not be for you. Others certainly do not share your criticism. Maybe you need to book a “private” boat. You would still criticise!
Totally agree with your comments re entertainment.
And twice the wait for a look at the buffet:
1. Wash hands for 20 seconds (long queue)
2. Finally get to line up with 30 or more others (even longer queue) is absolute nonsense.
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