Golden to Alaska last week 6/28-7/5

[pmd98052]

Posted already about arriving in Victoria 2 hours late and not being let off the ship... $25 credit (+$10 port tax credit) for that. Things happen but given Golden has been late into Juneau all season (I think) there do appear to be some propulsion issues on the ship.

 

In general a great cruise but noticed some odd things:

 

1. No Ultimate Deck Party - I presume this is normal on Princess for Alasaka cruises due to the weather?

 

2. No "New Years Eve Balloon Drop" - This one surprised me as our cruise has both July 1st (Canada Day) and July 4th (Independence Day) in it but no party to celebrate? There was a Margarita party in Explorers on Fri night (4th) but not sure if that is part of the normal schedule - From previously posted Golden Alaska Patters it seems like it is normal. Surprised there wasn't something for July 4th.

 

Some general thoughts:

 

Piano bar guy (Billy Reid) was pretty good with crowd interactions but not sure his show in the Vista lounge was quite up to par - Felt scheduled in at the last minute.

 

I ignored some comments a previous reviewer made about the buffet not being great but I would agree now. One night was pretty good but most had quite a poor selection and very much reduced quality versus our cruises with Princess over the last 4 years. I thought the same on the Caribbean Princess in Feb this year as well. That said MDR food was if anything better and Crown Grill was excellent - We went to the CG the final night but the Victoria port skip seemed to cause it to be super over booked. 8pm to 10.45pm for the meal (had to get our kids from kids club at 10pm) with a 90 min delay between appetizer and main course, sides missing, wine not brought out etc - The wait staff did a great job but they were just overwhelmed that night. If it were a land based restaurant I would not have left any tip but this wasn't the staff's fault - management needs to be slapped though for overbooking capacity.

 

We went to the CG the first night as well and there were no issues.

 

Wasn't a fan of the cruise director but that is super subjective :)

 

Entertainment was good - We'd seen Joseph Tran the magician on the Sapphire a year or so ago and he was equally good here. Kids loved the two shows. We'd seen the musical productions before so skipped those for more time out on deck this trip.

 

The naturalist on board (Michael Modzelewski - http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Modzelewski/e/B000APW2OW/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1) was excellent - somewhat of a unique speaking style but he lectures were fantastic as was his on deck commentary that happened during Glacier Bay and a few other times for wildlife watching. A great addition to the cruise and something we liked over NCL who we'd sailed with to Alaska before.

 

We booked this cruise only about 4 weeks ago and were pleasantly surprised to get upgraded from an inside to obstructed (though only partially) ocean view which was a nice surprise on check in. Took a while for our luggage to find the room due to that! :)

Edited July 6, 2014 by pmd98052

[pmd98052]

Forgot one other thing - They seem to have changed the cheese used on the pizza's - Now some sort of "cubed" cheese that didn't appear to entirely melt. Same good crust but not as good overall as before.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting your thoughts.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments.

 

Yes Michael. M does take a little to get used to. :)

[meh56]

We are sailing the Golden in August...I am hoping that they fix the mechanical problem before that, but am concerned they may wait until dry dock

Can you comment on the overall condition of the ship...the public area and the condition of the cabins...some say it is showing wear but others think it looks fine. How was sailing in Glacier Bay? Any wildlife?

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[meh56]

We are sailing the Golden in August...I am hoping that they fix the mechanical problem before that, but am concerned they may wait until dry dock

Can you comment on the overall condition of the ship...the public area and the condition of the cabins...some say it is showing wear but others think it looks fine. How was sailing in Glacier Bay? Any wildlife?

[Iwanttorelax]

We were on this same cruise. I have nothing to compare to, but did attend a party on deck the first night. Was handed a "mega mango beverage in a plastic glass.... My first use of the cruise card. Apparently this purchase included the glass which I didn't want to keep and the waiters didn't want to take it. Was it a blow out? Not sure about that.

Mini suite worked out great for us. Teen daughter enjoyed the teen club and spending time with peers.

Excursion through Harv and Marv's whale watch in Juneau was great. Highly recommend captain Liz.....

Excursion to dog sled musher's camp in Skagway was also great (booked through Princess). Taxi tour (self-booked) was also good, but maybe a bit longer Than it needed to be.

Food was pretty good and improved every day. I am on a restricted diet due to food allergies and Carlos, head waiter, took excellent care to make sure I had great options at each dining room meal.

It was our first cruise and though we had a good time, we are not rushing to sign up,for another. I felt a bit confined during some of the at sea time and din't really feel like I had any connection with the places we visited.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[pmd98052]

Ship condition was pretty good I thought. Some signs of wear/tear but nothing that seemed a big deal to me.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed reading your report.

 

Keith

[pmd98052]

Forgot to answer the other question - Glacier bay was fantastic - We saw lots of ice calving off the Glacier. Some really big blocks according to the crew. We also saw humpbacks breaching out of the water 2-3 times during one of the on deck commentary sessions. Along with a fair number of whale fins smacking the water.

Edited July 7, 2014 by pmd98052