Not Worth It

Item: Golden Princess
Rating: 3.1
Author: diane1774

Golden Princess Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

diane1774

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 105

Overall rating:

3.1 out of 5

Verified Review

8 Night Southern Australia & Tasmania (Melbourne Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 02, 2020

Ship: Golden Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: D734

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

We are yearly cruisers in our 40s/50s, and were bored out of our minds on this cruise (to the point we considered leaving the ship early). All of the activities and entertainment is geared towards a MUCH older, less active crowd (even the front desk confirmed this). If you enjoy a more quiet experience - i.e. knitting classes, bossanova music, in bed by 10pm - than this is the cruise for you. They do not offer a variety to appeal to all ages, even though there were some younger folks on board (although I’d say 75% on the guests were retirement age or older). The good news is that the casino will never be crowded so you’ll always get a seat at a table (and may often be one of a few people in there). Just watch the dealers! My son was cheated my a dealer who couldn’t count to 21 and when caught, the pit boss said “he’s just a trainee” and laughed. We will NOT be cruising with Princess again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

This was the smoothest part of the trip. Staff was super friendly and check in was a breeze (most of which I had done online prior). I was onboard within 20 minutes.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

I gave it one star because my 1 experience in the specialty restaurants was amazing, otherwise it would have gotten zero stars. The staff was awful! Some of the worst service I ever experienced on a cruise. The wait staff in Bernini was so rude that we ate at the buffet the rest of the meals (on the flip side, the Horizon staff was exceptional). Bar staff was terrible - I had to constantly get my own drinks rather than being served. Overall, the quality of the food was subpar, but edible.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

The activities are geared towards those over 60, and not necessarily active. There is little to nothing to do.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Much like the activities, the entertainment is geared towards the over 60, less active crowd.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

The front desk and Horizon buffet staff were incredible, however the rest of the food and beverage staff was some of the worst I’ve experienced.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

The ship is old and rundown. It’s being retired fall of 2020 and it’s clear Princess isn’t dropping a lot of money into upkeep.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

It was marketed as a junior suite, however, this is just a typical balcony room with a pullout sofa. The room is spacious, especially the bathroom (it has a tub), but it’s definitely run down.

Ship tip

If you’re active, or under 60, this is not the ship for you. Definitely geared towards the older, less active crowd.

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Ports of call

Melbourne, Australia

5 out of 5

A lot to do

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Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

5 out of 5

Bonorong Sanctuary is amazing and well worth the trip

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Kangaroo Island, Australia Did not visit port

cancelled due to the fires

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Port Lincoln, Australia

3 out of 5

There is nothing to see or do at this port unless you’re on an excursion. Swimming with the Sea Lions is incredible!

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Adelaide, Australia

5 out of 5

A lot to see and do

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Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Relatively easy. I was able to change to a later time and all of our luggage was together by family.

7 Comments

19margaret 4 years ago

I think you are better suited to Carnival ships or Royal Carribean

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apache 4 years ago

What the hell do you want on a cruise..you are just a whinging person ..go to nightclubs at home and walk the strets looking at the shops .i am sure you will not be missed on a cruise in the future..

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YinGTanG 4 years ago

Sorry for your bad experience but disappointed by reading this in , I never ever had any problem with this wonderful ship at all, crew members were very helpful and friendly in the Donatella restaurant, so I don't know what's so wrong with every other ones to. yes, maybe is suitable for the elders but still you could always find things to do to keep yourself and your family entertain , like relax by the pool to even just chilling out however you like, especially you are on holiday stress free without technology for the days you are on the ship. Did you at least enjoy the movie under the stars? or even the evening shows at the stage to ? I'm sure there was the Voice of the ocean was worth watching to. however, at the end of the day you are what you are making out of the holidays not what the platter suggest, as it gives you options to go or not because most of it was just to let everyone try something new or different or even pick up the skills to even makes new friends there. to be honest, that's how ship works to relax and enjoy and no pressure to join anything or do anything you don't want to as it all free and choices you make is up to you. by the way I'm 35 .

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judip56 4 years ago

Good grief you didn’t look hard enough for things to do.

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melzie82 4 years ago

Im 37 and i have been on the golden 5 times. Although it geared more for an older audience, i love every second on board as a cruise is WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT. There are lots of choices for younger people if you open your eyes. If you go on thinking you will hate it then you will. One little thing can turn your head to hate pretty quick. In the end, you arrived at your destinations, you had a blast at all the places you visited, so what if you thought the food was bad.... its not a eating cruise. Every time I've been on board, never been able to get a seat at the casino, never been able to dance at the nightclub or anywhere due to the packed out nature, so I'm not sure why you think it was deserted. As for a knitting club, never seen anything like that on the patter. But as i said, a cruise is what you make of it, it can be as dull or as fun as YOU want it to be.

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CruzeFan 4 years ago

Princess and Holland America both cater to older passengers and are known more for their itineraries than entertainment and onboard activities. We would cruise them again, but only if we could not find a similar itinerary on another line.

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scltc 4 years ago

You know what ship to go on 😝

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Other reviews of this sailing

Had a great time