Live From Golden Princess 1 June to 11 June

[cougaraz]

Now if they'd go back to showing them in the cabins, there would be more room for those who have been standing.

The NBA finals were available on TV, but I suspect only because they are airing on ESPN which is on the normal lineup.

[cruisehappy001]

Thanks for your Live From thread!

 

Travel safe on your way home!

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark

[cougaraz]

Our final day was a sea day and we slept in like lazy bums and there is not even a shred of guilt or shame to be found. We finally got moving and headed to the International Cafe for some coffee and pastries. As usual, the offerings were freshly made and delicious. Melissa's favorite is always the pain du chocolate and I am a fan of the triangle donut. The triangle donut isn't really sweet, just light pastry topped with powdered sugar and perfect for dunking in your joe. After breakfast we headed out on deck for a couple miles of walking. According to my Garmin wearable, I walked 65 miles during the course of the cruise. I take that with a grain of salt, but I like to watch my daily average and find that the little graph on my phone helps keep me moving.

 

We joined the family for lunch in the dining room, we had a nice table near the window and our waitress Lyudmila was fantastic with the kids. I had a very modest three course lunch (as opposed to the one course option I usually enjoy at my desk). I started with the bruschetta topped with avocado and tomato, my main was a panini and dessert was a chocolate and walnut slice. Most unfortunately, we then went back to the cabin to pack. However, Melissa and I are old pros and it took just 20 minutes to get our gear arranged and ready for transport.

 

To ensure no caloric opportunities were missed, we went to afternoon tea. On previous cruises with late seating dinner, we have been frequent visitors to tea. However, when dinner is at 530 the passion for tea is greatly reduced. That being said, my niece very much wanted to go to tea, so away we went. I had one finger sandwich and one scone, but both were delicious and I could easily have had more.

 

Our final dinner was a feast for the eyes and the stomach. I started with the pâté which was creamy and rich, served with an amusingly small and jiggly portion of apple gelatin. The next round was the Alaskan Amber battered razor clams. They were really nicely done and supremely flavorful. I also couldn't help but smile thinking how Alaskan Brewing has gone from a mom and pop startup raising capital door to door to a major brand partnering with global corporations in just 30 years. For the pasta course, I chose the pappardelle with wild boar ragout and anywhere but a cruise it would have been the highlight of a fine restaurant meal, but this is cruising, so there was more to come. After a palate cleansing sorbet I tucked into a big plate of crab legs and then split a second plate with Melissa. Dessert featured the traditional Baked Alaska if you were so inclined, but I think those that they paraded were just stunt desserts. I actually chose the apple pie and rum raisin ice cream. The pie was totally forgettable, but the rum raisin was superb.

 

We finished our evening with drinks in the Wheelhouse Bar before heading to the room. We put out our bags and said our goodbyes as the family had widely divergent disembarkation plans. Little did we know, the most disturbing and upsetting event to occur on any of our cruises lay just ahead. Neither of us was sleeping well and Melissa got up to go to the bathroom and heard someone at the door. She opened it to find two teenagers, probably around 16, very drunk and messing with our white board. Her opening the door sent them scurrying and she returned to bed. Not more than a minute later we heard them again and I opened the door to see them running away and losing a shoe in the process. They had returned to write horrifically obscene things on the white board. Realizing they had lost a shoe, they returned and were combative and even went so far as to start a bluff charge at Melissa, but the sight of an angry, tired man in his t-shirt and boxers sent them running for good. We immediately called security and nothing was heard from them again. I was disturbed on multiple levels, intoxicated teenagers, their outright profanity and aggressiveness, not to mention that these individuals were roaming the halls with passengers luggage out and unguarded. I sincerely hoped throughout breakfast and disembarkation that I would see them and their parents, but it was not to be. In the end, it was an unfortunate incident, but no serious harm was done.

 

We arrived on time into a very foggy San Francisco. I will finish the story of disembarkation, the journey home and summarize the trip when we finally get home. For now, we are in Newark, one flight to go and then we pick up the dog and head home. Once I get a chance to resize photos and edit video I will get them posted as well.

[Kauai Kid]

Thanks for your live. I really appreciate all the time and effort that goes into it.

.

[cougaraz]

Alright, time to get down to some photo postings. I am going ahead and putting up a test shot here that I ran through Photoshop to see if the sizing is right.

 

This was the beef from the 50th Anniversary menu.

 

[cougaraz]

Looks to me like the size is good, so I will start posting up the photos. I expect to be pretty food intensive on the photos and other subjects covered better by video. Not sure how long it will take me to edit video, but photos should be coming up quickly.

 

Also, more than happy to answer any other questions that people may have.

 

So, our sail away day was absolutely breathtaking. Fog in San Francisco is of course, common, especially early and late on summer days, but on the 1st of June, mid-morning through evening were absolutely spectacular.

 

First, Melissa with the city and Golden Gate behind her.

 

And me, enjoying a great view and not having to shave for a couple of days while on leave.

 

Alcatraz looking rather nice on this particular day.

[cougaraz]

We were up early on disembarkation day and honestly hadn't slept that well. A couple of quick showers and final preps on our carryons had us off to breakfast in the main dining room. This particular morning breakfast was on Deck 5, Bernini Dining Room, as they had set up Deck 6, the Donatello Dining Room as the Elite and Platinum disembarkation lounge.

 

Breakfast was nicely done, we got a table for two and I was surprised that the room was not more crowded. Service was quick and friendly. Melissa started with a half of a pink grapefruit, her cruising favorite. While we are cruising she has grapefruit almost every morning, when we are at home, I do not think I have ever seen a grapefruit pass through our kitchen. Of course, one last chance for a pain du chocolate was not to be missed. I had an omelet with ham and cheese, hashbrowns, some bacon and a toasted English muffin. I knew that my next meal was quite some time off, not until the airport, so I loaded up a bit. After breakfast, we returned to our room, gathered our bags and headed to the Princess theater.

 

We had booked a departure tour for San Francisco as our flights back to Rhode Island demanded a very late flight out of SFO. There were a lot of factors that went into that, including that we booked using miles and needed to arrive in Providence during the work day so we could pick up our dog from board and train. That is a whole other topic, but the short of it is that our dog Stanley is a rescue and while we were away he was at a very intensive training facility where he dog lots of personalized attention including learning how to swim!

 

Here is Stan the Man on his very first swim ever!

 

Upon arrival in the theater, we put on our handy-dandy Princess tour stickers and took a seat. On our South America and British Isles cruises, the stickers and the routine of meeting for excursions in the theater were the norm, but in Alaska the norm seemed to be meeting ashore on or near the pier. We were seated for less than 10 minutes before we were called and headed off the ship. Though the walk was a little long, I don't mind and in fact love it, but want to consider what others might experience, we maneuvered through immigration, bag collection and out of customs most expeditiously. In fact, it was one of the quickest and easiest departures I think I have ever done. Our bags are big rolling duffles and each takes a smaller bag on top quite easily, so no porter for us. However, my parents and the rest of the team who departed later said they used a porter and they were very friendly and helpful managing luggage for eight people. I talked to a few folks around the ship and no one had any issues at all with porter service.

 

Our bus was the first in line and our driver quickly loaded the bags. Our guide, who was separate from our driver, was friendly and as a long time Bay Area resident, very knowledgeable and had a good feel for the city. Our driver, William, was an absolute beast. Driving anything in San Francisco is a challenge, driving a big tour bus and doing so well is a herculean task. Melissa used to live in the Marina District and at the time, I was living in Monterey, so we weren't experiencing San Francisco for the first time nor were we under any illusions about what a cruise line city tour was going to be like. I think a few people were disappointed that they weren't going to Alcatraz, but the tour description said "great views of Alcatraz" and a trip to the island and back would have greatly exceeded the time allotted to the tour. We drove past the usual suspects: Palace of Fine Arts, Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, out to Lands End, through Golden Gate Park, up to Twin Peaks and through the major neighborhoods and finally on to the airport. We arrived just a few minutes before 2PM. All in all, a nice tour, though it was the prototypical city drive tour, lots of views out the windows, a few quick photo stops and some narration along the way.

 

The airport process was quick and easy for us, we checked in at United, cleared security expeditiously and were left with a very long wait. I will pause here to mention TSA Pre-Check. We signed up for Global Entry, which includes TSA Pre-Check a little over a year ago and it is awesome! We fly through security whenever we fly and with Global Entry, returning via air from foreign travel is so fast and painless. I highly recommend anyone who flies frequently consider it, well worth the money.

 

Once in the terminal, we reunited with the family who were flying home to Phoenix and chatted for a few minutes until it was time for them to board. We later got a text that they were home and eating tacos before we even boarded our flight. We spend the balance of our wait in the Centurion Lounge which is a wonderful benefit of being platinum card holders with American Express. It was the nicest stateside lounge I have ever been in and compared favorably with overseas lounges, but the BA arrivals lounge in London and the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney will likely continue to top the list for a long time. We finally got underway and headed east just before 9PM. We were early into Newark and relaxed in the United Club, courtesy of Amtrak status earned through commuting into NYC. The lounge was huge and thankfully featured shower suites, a rare commodity in domestic lounges. Our flight to Providence was humorously short and we rapidly acquired our bags and car. PVD has a fantastic frequent parking program that not only allows you to accrue benefits, but also gives you a swipe and go card for in and out with no waiting. We hit up the grocery store for essentials, picked up Stanley and were home before noon.

 

I will write a comprehensive write up of my impressions and comments about the overall cruise shortly. However, another lesson learned for me, take the laptop! I opted to travel with just the iPad mini this trip and think that it substantially cramped the amount of writing I did and the detail included during the live reports. Going forward, I will either have to take the computer, which gives me the added benefit of processing photos and video, or obtain a keyboard for the iPad. My inclination is to just take the computer as I only have to carry it there and back, leaving it comfortably in the room on arrival and it really does add to the media processing capability.

[cougaraz]

Being that we arrived early, we were able to enjoy lunch in the main dining room. I have to give credit to my fellow Cruise Critics for cluing me in on lunch in the dining room on embarkation day. My parents were Elite on Princess before they ever ate anywhere other than the buffet on embarkation day. I had the cheese ravioli for my main and it was a great way to start the cruise!

 

 

We sailed under the Golden Gate in some blustery wind and with fog threatening to block the view, but it held off just long enough for us to have a spectacular sail away!

 

 

 

[cougaraz]

Some highlights from our first dinner onboard: the house cured gravlox, the vegetable spring rolls, the and classic (and perfectly executed) Fettuccine Alfredo. The next photos are actually from the second night's dinner, the gazpacho, the apple and walnut spring rolls and the traditional cheesecake. Of note, this was the third time I had tried the spring rolls and was going to be the last if they weren't better than before. Previous iterations had been too sweet, the sauce boring and the texture not crispy. However, these were amazing! The wrapper was crisp and light, the filling gooey and flavorful and the dipping sauce the perfect tangy, tart foil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2015 by cougaraz

[cougaraz]

Here is the Cobb Salad (fantastic presentation) and Chicken Korma from the dining room lunch. The Chicken Korma is Melissa's all time favorite Princess dish, always tasty and well seasoned.

 

 

 

 

Also, young Micah likes fruit, but apparently only grapes and pineapple at the moment, no problem.

 

[cougaraz]

Some photos from the 50th Anniversary dinner. As I stated earlier, it was the best single meal I have had on Princess. From a general polling of the family, it was in their top five all time.

 

 

 

 

[cougaraz]

The sorbet, turbot and beef mains from the 50th Anniversary dinner.

 

 

 

[Colo Cruiser]

Yum!! :D

[Turbopaws]

....I will write a comprehensive write up of my impressions and comments about the overall cruise shortly...

 

Thank you for the detailed write up. I will be on the ship in a few weeks and I am wondering what to expect. In particular, how was the naturalist and the lectures? How was the Cruise Director and the Assistant Cruise Director as well as the entertainment staff? Was the Captain ever seen around the passenger areas?

 

Were there enough activities on the sea days such as trivia contests, Zumba and line dance classes, etc?

 

How was the musical entertainment in the lounges as well as the shows in the theater? Are there any shows that are "must see" and are there any that are "Avoid at all cost"?

 

Thanks

[Turbopaws]

Yes, it is up and running. Works great, will post some setup details later.

 

Thanks. I am interested in the setup details for both iPhone and Android. Can I load the app once I'm on board the ship?

[cougaraz]

Thank you for the detailed write up. I will be on the ship in a few weeks and I am wondering what to expect. In particular, how was the naturalist and the lectures? How was the Cruise Director and the Assistant Cruise Director as well as the entertainment staff? Was the Captain ever seen around the passenger areas?

 

Were there enough activities on the sea days such as trivia contests, Zumba and line dance classes, etc?

 

How was the musical entertainment in the lounges as well as the shows in the theater? Are there any shows that are "must see" and are there any that are "Avoid at all cost"?

 

Thanks

 

I cannot speak to the naturalist or the lectures as I did not attend any. However, the rangers who boarded for our Glacier Bay cruising were fantastic. I think that the Cruise Director and his staff were above the line average. Billy was frequently seen out and about during the day and evenings, greeting passengers. I did not see the Captain except at his scheduled appearances.

 

There has been some discussion elsewhere that this was a boring cruise, but having sailed four times with Princess in the last year, totaling 44 days, I heartily disagree, this cruise was very standard in terms of activities and scheduled events. It also was not nearly so old a crowd as some would make it out to be. There were a lot of families cruising this time and talking to the staff at the children's program, there will be tons more in the coming weeks. I have the Patters and will try to get some scans done.

 

I didn't attend any of the production shows, but did watch the impressionist Michael Wilson and David Kinkenberg. I would say that David Klinkenberg is one of the best cruise acts I have ever seen. Of the live acts, I most enjoyed Phoenix Rising and a Girl Named "Jake".

[cougaraz]

In our first port, Juneau, we went to the Alaskan Brewing Company for a tasting tour. We booked our tickets in advance, at the time they were $15 per person, but it appears that the price is now $20 per person.

 

http://alaska-shoreexcursions.com/juneau-brew

 

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2015 by cougaraz

[StayingAfloat]

We are leaving on August 10th and I asked my TA about the specialty dinner for two reservations. He told me the Princess on my behalf will pick the restaurant and time of that dinner. Has anyone's TA told them this?

[Working 2 Cruise]

We are leaving on August 10th and I asked my TA about the specialty dinner for two reservations. He told me the Princess on my behalf will pick the restaurant and time of that dinner. Has anyone's TA told them this?

 

Everyone's TA has said that! That's the way it is... You may possibly be able to change the time of your reservation but that's not guaranteed.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Working 2 Cruise

[Momma Mojito]

Thanks for you live reports and now for your pics. We will be celebrating our Golden Anniversary on the Golden the 20th of August cruise. With all your info and now your pics I can hardly wait.. Thanks again

[cougaraz]

Dinner in Juneau featured crab cake, chicken liver tart, lamb ragout pasta, roast beef and for Mo, the Tandoori shrimp, chocolate torte cake for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Working 2 Cruise]

Yum!

[Sheebah]

We are leaving on August 10th and I asked my TA about the specialty dinner for two reservations. He told me the Princess on my behalf will pick the restaurant and time of that dinner. Has anyone's TA told them this?

 

We are just off the Golden and ours appeared in the form of vouchers, but they appeared to be from the TA which totally confused us. Princess did not pick a time. we redeemed on the first night in Crown Grill, for fear of the restaurants booking up AND because I don't like the first night in dining rooms. Too much chaos and waiting.

[cougaraz]

Some pics from our day in Skagway. Our guide for hiking on the Chilkoot Trail (unnecessarily as it turned out) explaining some basics of bear safety. Our post hike meal, Spruce Tip Ale and tater tots from the Skagway Brewing Company. Dinner was light, salad and soup, with a souffle, but I also grabbed a photo of young Micah's Volcano!

 

 

 

 

 

[cougaraz]

I have fallen way behind in my posting, going to try and get moving.

 

Here are a couple shots, sailing out of Skagway and back down the Lynn Canal. The final shot is a panorama at the entrance to Glacier Bay.