Review of Golden Princess Cruise to Inside Passage-Alaska, May, 2013

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

I snapped the view outside right before heading down to dinner. I start with the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souffle, very good! For an entree I got the Skillet-Fried Orange Roughy with Tomato and Caper Dressing, fish is cooked perfectly but the tomato and caper dressing is not to my tastes at all. To finish I got the Chocolate Lover's Delight, very good except for the brownie, which was not very good to me.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

That pretty much ends Day 6, as we finish dinner, get our V.I.P. magic show, we head back to the cabin for the evening. Despite our run-in with an extremly rude waitress we loved Skagway and the train ride. Cute downtown with the wooden sidewalks, and when they say it's the windy city they aren't kidding. There was a constant steady wind that never stopped blowing. It wasn't unbearably cold, but noticeable. It would have been a perfect warm day, the wind kept the jacket on.

cdngrl · June 1, 2013

i'm loving your vacation! i'm hating waiting for the next installment! I've always been an instant gratification kinda person. :) i'll be watching for the rest!

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

Friday May 17th, today is a sea day. We sleep in until 8a.m. and go to breakfast. I have my usual, seasonal melon with banana's, poached eggs on wheat toast, ham steak and hash browns, all very good.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

I decide I'm going to the back stage tour in the Princess Theater, and Terry is just going to wander. I tell him to meet me at the Casino at 12:30p.m. because I'm entering the Blackjack Tournament, then we can go to lunch. The backstage tour was really cool, if you've never done it you should. The dancers live behind the stage, and the Golden is one of only 2 ships that have a water feature on their stage, the other being the new Royal.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

i'm loving your vacation! i'm hating waiting for the next installment! I've always been an instant gratification kinda person. :) i'll be watching for the rest!

Thanks, just like candy you should take me is small daily doses :eek::D;):).

cdngrl · June 1, 2013

Thanks, just like candy you should take me is small daily doses :eek::D;):).

hahahaha :D

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

After the tour I headed to the casino and used my coupon for buy one get one free tournament entry. I entered in 2 tournaments, the first I got $4800, the second I got $2600. You only get to keep your best score. The man running said you will be in the finals no problem, I was #1 on the Leaderboard when I left to go to lunch. I've never been in the finals before, so if I make it that will be an accomplishment for me.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

To start lunch I got the New Orleans Chicken Jumbo, very good. Then I got the Rigatoni in Four Cheese Sauce, very good. Then I had the Chicken Caesar Salad, very good. To finish I got the Chocolate Eclair and Rocky Road Ice Cream, both very yummy as I ate them so fast I didn't get a pic.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

So about 2:15p.m. I head back to the casino and I'm #7 out of 7 for the final tournament :eek:. From top to bottom, but the guy running it says not to worry Mr. Ken your going to be in the final tournament, nobody else is going to play between now and 2:30p.m. So at 2:30 they announce they are closing the tournament and starting the final round playing for $500. We all got a Princess t-shirt and picked postions according to place, so I got stuck with what was left #4. We played 7 hands and he started to count everyone's chips so far the amount to beat is $10,300, dang I don't think I can beat that. He gets to me and starts counting ........$5000.......$10,000........$10,200.......$10,400. Oh my f'in ***, now I'm the amount to beat, I can't even believe it . It's pretty obvious the last few don't have enough to beat me so I've pretty much just won, and then he announces me as the winner. I'm stunned this is the first time I've ever won and I've played for the last 4 years. My hands got a little shaky picking up my tray with $500 worth of chips :). So the Golden Princess was golden as that just payed for my cruise and then some, so now I'm basically cruising for free, no I'm being paid to cruise :cool:! I'm just like floating for the whole rest of the trip peace, love, happiness to everyone :eek:;):D.

lovelearnteach · June 1, 2013

I love afternoon tea and this is one of my last chances to go. Wonderful as usual, just a nice time to sit gab and eat, 3 of my favorite activities :eek:;):D:).

melody hounddog · June 1, 2013

Wow! Fantastic!!!!

Luvsprincess · June 1, 2013

Keep going...this is getting exciting!!! This is the best!!! Like watching a soap opera

geesherry · June 1, 2013

So about 2:15p.m. I head back to the casino and I'm #7 out of 7 for the final tournament :eek:. From top to bottom, but the guy running it says not to worry Mr. Ken your going to be in the final tournament, nobody else is going to play between now and 2:30p.m. So at 2:30 they announce they are closing the tournament and starting the final round playing for $500. We all got a Princess t-shirt and picked postions according to place, so I got stuck with what was left #4. We played 7 hands and he started to count everyone's chips so far the amount to beat is $10,300, dang I don't think I can beat that. He gets to me and starts counting ........$5000.......$10,000........$10,200.......$10,400. Oh my f'in ***, now I'm the amount to beat, I can't even believe it . It's pretty obvious the last few don't have enough to beat me so I've pretty much just won, and then he announces me as the winner. I'm stunned this is the first time I've ever won and I've played for the last 4 years. My hands got a little shaky picking up my tray with $500 worth of chips :). So the Golden Princess was golden as that just payed for my cruise and then some, so now I'm basically cruising for free, no I'm being paid to cruise :cool:! I'm just like floating for the whole rest of the trip peace, love, happiness to everyone :eek:;):D.

Congrats!

That's a fantastic way to spend a sea day!

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

I don't know what I did until it was time to head to the cabin and get ready for dinner, I just freakin won $500 people :D:)! Tonight is the 2nd formal night and to start I got Escargots Bourguignon, very good as always. Then onto Chicken and Vegetable Petite Marmite, very yummy, maybe slightly salty. And of course for entree it's Broiled Lobster Tail and King Prawns with lemon Butter Fondue. For dessert it's good ol' Baked Alaska, very good. It's the parade of the Baked Alaska and the chefs in the dinning room.

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

Wow! Fantastic!!!!

Thank-you, first time luck I guess, as it was the first time I made it to the final :).

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

Congrats!

That's a fantastic way to spend a sea day!

Without a doubt :D:)!

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

Keep going...this is getting exciting!!! This is the best!!! Like watching a soap opera

I don't think I can top winning $500 :D:).

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

After dinner we have our magic show, he does different tricks every night, he is really quite a talented young man. We then head back to the cabin, out of hot clothes and then head to Princess Theater to see "British Invasion". We thought it was a Beatles tribute band, but it was a British Rock Tribute that hit on the 60's-70's. It was good, wish it was longer, good music if you like classic British rock.

blambition · June 2, 2013

Thanks so much for all of your postings, we leave in two weeks on the Star Princess. I haven't been to Alaska in 17 years, so this has been very helpful reminding of certain things.

I have two questions if you don't mind, would there have been any taxis available into town in Skagway, if you didn't want the long walk? My most important question is always, did you see chocolate souffle on any of the menus??? We are going to book a salmon bake, and I have already warned the others that if they are serving chocolate souffle that evening we still have to go into the dining room when we get back! I have had them make it an extra night in the past and the others always get upset with me, since none of them really care about it at all!

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

That concludes Day 7, after the show we went back to the cabin and I watched "Silver Linings Playbook" didn't get it at all. Then I watched "Jack Reacher", I liked it better than I thought I would. It was probably the best sea day of my life. Tomorrow is essentially another sea day as we don't get into Victoria until 7p.m.

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

Thanks so much for all of your postings, we leave in two weeks on the Star Princess. I haven't been to Alaska in 17 years, so this has been very helpful reminding of certain things.
I have two questions if you don't mind, would there have been any taxis available into town in Skagway, if you didn't want the long walk? My most important question is always, did you see chocolate souffle on any of the menus??? We are going to book a salmon bake, and I have already warned the others that if they are serving chocolate souffle that evening we still have to go into the dining room when we get back! I have had them make it an extra night in the past and the others always get upset with me, since none of them really care about it at all!

Thank-you for the support and the questions :)! You reminded me there was a orange souffle on embarkation day, and a mango souffle the first night at dinner, then not another one until Sat. night and yes it was the chocolate. My tablemate's and I had remarked on the lack of souffle on the dinner or lunch dessert menu's.

There is a shuttle that takes you from the ship to the end of the pier which is quite a walk all in it's self. That is free, then there is a shuttle to take you downtown, I'm not sure if there was any cost involved in that shuttle, but I believe there was.

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

Sat May 18th, 2013, today we are at Victoria, B.C., Canada. We won't be able to get off the ship until 7p.m., so we have another lazy day on the ship. We go to breakfast about 8:30a.m. and I started with the Assorted Melon Cocktail, very good. Then the usual of poached eggs on wheat toast, bacon and hash browns, all very good.

lovelearnteach · June 2, 2013

We poke around until 11a.m. when Terry goes back to the cabin to chillax and I head to the Pastry Extravaganza in the covered pool area. No way I'm missing this, I somehow overlooked the Taste of Alaska Extravaganza, and I was so bummed. It was sugar coma heaven :D:). I even see yet another whale while enjoying my pastries :).