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Sailing on Golden Princess next month with a family group of 10, have not sailed with Princess since 2010 which we were very impressed with. Would love to hear from recent cruisers on Golden or indeed Princess as to the ship and any tips onboard and the overall Princess experience.

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You didn't mention which ship you sailed on in 2010. I will mention a few points of interest about the Golden. We disembarked last Wednesday.

1. International Cafe on deck 5 in the atrium. They have good food available 24 hours, but there is no free coffee available.

2. The buffet dining area has hand-washing sinks that you must use as you enter.

3. Traditional and anytime dining are available in the main dining room. We used anytime and it worked very very well.

4. We went around 6.45pm and we were in plenty of time to get a good seat for the 7.45pm show.

5. We like to sit four or so rows from the front, so we always entered the Princess Theatre via deck 6.

6. The musical trio that played in the atrium before dinner was superb.

7. Tender operations were handled very well and there were no delays.

8. The library had very few books except for a lot of paperbacks left by passengers. If you want books, go early.

9. If you don't want to buy an internet package but still want to send a message to family/friends, you can send the free eCards. I could post instructions on how to do it if you wish.

10. There is a reasonable gym on board. Alternatively you can walk around the promenade deck, but it requires walking up a flight of stairs to deck 8 around the bow of the ship.

11. Pools - one is covered and the other is open.

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I have been on the ship for a total of 38 nights from 2014 including a recent 2 night cruise this April. It is in excellent condition and I really enjoy being on the ship. I cannot fault it and I still think despite its age it gives brand new ships a run for their money. It is a relaxing ship and there are plenty of things to do as well as places to sit back and relax. It is probably one of my favouite ships now along with the Diamond Princess.

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You didn't mention which ship you sailed on in 2010. I will mention a few points of interest about the Golden. We disembarked last Wednesday.

1. International Cafe on deck 5 in the atrium. They have good food available 24 hours, but there is no free coffee available.

2. The buffet dining area has hand-washing sinks that you must use as you enter.

3. Traditional and anytime dining are available in the main dining room. We used anytime and it worked very very well.

4. We went around 6.45pm and we were in plenty of time to get a good seat for the 7.45pm show.

5. We like to sit four or so rows from the front, so we always entered the Princess Theatre via deck 6.

6. The musical trio that played in the atrium before dinner was superb.

7. Tender operations were handled very well and there were no delays.

8. The library had very few books except for a lot of paperbacks left by passengers. If you want books, go early.

9. If you don't want to buy an internet package but still want to send a message to family/friends, you can send the free eCards. I could post instructions on how to do it if you wish.

10. There is a reasonable gym on board. Alternatively you can walk around the promenade deck, but it requires walking up a flight of stairs to deck 8 around the bow of the ship.

11. Pools - one is covered and the other is open.

 

Is point number 2 a joke? because there was nothing like that back in April when I was on it.

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Is point number 2 a joke? because there was nothing like that back in April when I was on it.

It is NOT a joke. You mention that you were on the ship in April. I mentioned in my post that we disembarked from the Golden last Wednesday - that is less than a week ago. Why don't you believe me??? I can guarantee that hand-washing stations were in the buffet area when we boarded the ship and when we disembarked. :D

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We just got off the Pacific Explorer and it was the same, hand washing sinks as you enter buffet! its also not self serve! from what i hear all ships are no longer self serve as of 1st July??? not sure how true this is just what we were told onboard! going on the Golden next month and cannot wait :D;p

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We just got off the Pacific Explorer and it was the same, hand washing sinks as you enter buffet! its also not self serve! from what i hear all ships are no longer self serve as of 1st July??? not sure how true this is just what we were told onboard! going on the Golden next month and cannot wait :D;p

The buffet on P&Os Pacific Dawn is also not self-serve.

 

The original question was about the Golden Princess. I have not heard any indication that Princess is changing to non-self-serve.

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It is NOT a joke. You mention that you were on the ship in April. I mentioned in my post that we disembarked from the Golden last Wednesday - that is less than a week ago. Why don't you believe me??? I can guarantee that hand-washing stations were in the buffet area when we boarded the ship and when we disembarked. :D

 

I realised the dates when you went on it. I suspected it was a joke because it seems highly unhygienic to have a wash station for hands in a place where people can just shake their hands dry and water droplets go everywhere. It is not my idea of what a supposedly up market cruise ship would do and seems rather childish like the kind of thing you would see in a children's playground at school.

 

If there is a photo of this then that would be great as I would like to see what it looks like.

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We didn't take a photo of the hand basins - that would have been bizarre.:) I didn't realise anyone would want to see a photo of sinks.

 

There are at least four hand washing stations - one at each of the entrances to the buffet area with 'classy' looking sinks - not metal troughs. The water comes on automatically when you put your hands under the spout. There is the usual hand-washing gel and of course paper towels. A smiling steward stood beside the sinks to ensure everyone washed their hands. The first time we entered the buffet on this cruise, we didn't know the sinks were there. The steward politely gestured towards the sinks and asked us to wash our hands. I didn't see anyone shake their hands dry, but even if they did, it wasn't close to tables and no-where near the food. I have heard of hand-washing stations on other cruiselines, and if this is what is needed to keep people well, than I am all for it. :)

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I don't get why people carry on about washing your hands or using the sanitiser. Washing your hands helps to stop you getting sick on your holiday and limits the potential spreading of bugs!

 

Wash your hands people, I don't want your germs either :)

 

Rant over...

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We did a 25 night cruise on the golden princess in October, 2016 from Beijing to Sydney and had a great time. We considered the only slight disappointment to be actually the ship. We thought the ship was very tired and needed a fair bit of maintenance. We also thought the entertainment was very ordinary at best. However, food and staff were excellent. All in all we gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

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I don't get why people carry on about washing your hands or using the sanitiser. Washing your hands helps to stop you getting sick on your holiday and limits the potential spreading of bugs!

 

Wash your hands people, I don't want your germs either :)

 

Rant over...

 

The sanitiser is not proven to prevent the virus that the cruise lines all dread and there are scientific theories that too much of the gel could cause germs that become resistant to it to develop.

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The sanitiser is not proven to prevent the virus that the cruise lines all dread and there are scientific theories that too much of the gel could cause germs that become resistant to it to develop.

That is why I think the hand-washing sinks at the entry to the buffet are a good idea.:)

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That is why I think the hand-washing sinks at the entry to the buffet are a good idea.:)

 

If it is discreet and does not allow contamination of the food then it is good. I am sure the automatic taps are much better than the ones you touch to turn on.

 

The way some of them are left on those ships leaves a lot to be desired but I think water and soap is much better than the gel any day.

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Is point number 2 a joke? because there was nothing like that back in April when I was on it.

 

I think the buffet refers to the Horizon Court. IIRC, I paused to do my hands on the Friday night of 11/11/2016.

 

Personally for me with both sight and mobility problems I found the Horizon Court very challenging. The staff were very quick to offer assistance to me.

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are they new as i dont remember seeing the basins when i was on her only saw the gel

Sportfisher posted the comment that they were installed during the recent Circle Pacific cruise. We were on for the last part of that cruise and that is when we saw them.

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Sportfisher posted the comment that they were installed during the recent Circle Pacific cruise. We were on for the last part of that cruise and that is when we saw them.

ok cool as i do like that they have them some gels make my hands crack up so rather wash with water and soap if the option if there

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ok cool as i do like that they have them some gels make my hands crack up so rather wash with water and soap if the option if there

 

That gel sanitiser is dreadful on my hands. I always carry a foam sanitiser which is much gentler. However on one cruise I did use the gel occasionally (because it wasn't convenient to carry the foam one) and my hands felt and looked like dried autumn leaves by the end of the cruise. It took me a week or more of intensive use of good quality hand lotion to get them back to normal. Never again!

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That gel sanitiser is dreadful on my hands. I always carry a foam sanitiser which is much gentler. However on one cruise I did use the gel occasionally (because it wasn't convenient to carry the foam one) and my hands felt and looked like dried autumn leaves by the end of the cruise. It took me a week or more of intensive use of good quality hand lotion to get them back to normal. Never again!

I agree. The gel is very bad for a person's fingernails as well.

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I spent 2 nights in the hospital of Golden Princess in March 2016. I cannot say enough about the care and professional approach of all the staff. Nova virus was widespread at the time and they were all out on their feet but they kept on going. My husband saw a woman in the buffet who had been using the sick bag in the hospital earlier that day. It just shows that the best efforts of the ship's staff cannot affect attitudes of some members of the public

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I spent 2 nights in the hospital of Golden Princess in March 2016. I cannot say enough about the care and professional approach of all the staff. Nova virus was widespread at the time and they were all out on their feet but they kept on going. My husband saw a woman in the buffet who had been using the sick bag in the hospital earlier that day. It just shows that the best efforts of the ship's staff cannot affect attitudes of some members of the public
How inconsiderate was that woman [emoji35]

 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

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