First Class Scenery - Second Class Service

Item: Golden Princess
Rating: 3.5
Author: madelynw

Golden Princess Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska

madelynw

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 12

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

7 Night Voyage Of The Glaciers Northbound (Vancouver To Anchorage)

Sail date: August 11, 2018

Ship: Golden Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: C218

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall I loved the cruise due to the beautiful scenery. I would go again tomorrow. I was very pleased with our room, loved the balcony. I loved the ports especially Glacier Bay and was pleasantly surprised by College Fjord. I was disappointed with Princess. I was expecting more from the cruise line. I have had much nicer experiences on other cruise lines. Will try someone else next time.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The food in the dining room was mediocre at best. The presentation was nice but that's it. We had dinner in the dining rooms (anytime dining) most nights, but had breakfast at the buffet. Breakfast was good with lots of choices. Dinner was only ok and some nights the choices were not that appealing. Also, one evening we had dinner in the Crown Grille and it was the worse steak I have ever been served. It had no flavor, was over cooked and took too long. Also a "think" steak is not 1/2" thick. I felt bad that my husband wasted his money trying to give us a special evening.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There was little entertainment. We played trivia and bingo once, but other than that, I'm glad I was there for the scenery and not the activities.

Casino

1 out of 5

We were very disappointed that there was no Craps table in the casino. We were told that in the Asian culture it's not a popular game. We reminded them that we were in the United States where it is popular. How hard is it to bring a Craps table on board?

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Same as above

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

We had one good waiter in the dining room on the first night. He would see us at breakfast at the buffet and come take care of us, but other than that, we couldn't get a cup of coffee in the buffet without getting up and getting it ourselves. I could not get cream and was repeatedly told they only had milk, but yet I could find cream from time to time. I can't stress enough how rude they treated all of us. At first we thought it was a cultural difference, but as they days went by it was obvious that was not the problem.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

I loved th4e layout and size of the ship. I think there were plenty of pools and hot tubs (even if most of them were filled with children most of the time), it was walkable. I think there could have been more room in the Piazza area but it really wasn't a problem. The ship could have been a bit cleaner but I think it just looked that way due to it's age.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5