Golden mini-suite hide-a-bed question

[Suede]

Sandy did you have a new mattress on your bed? I sure hope they put them on all the beds by now. We will be in a balcony on the Aloha Deck, going Aug. 23. Are you going to write a review? TIA

[Sandy R]

Suede... I don't believe we had the new mattresses. We had the bed made into twins (just can't sleep with DH on a queen bed). Just looking at my bed it sagged ever so slightly in the middle. When we boarded, our steward told us the egg-crates were already on the bed. Never had a steward tell us that before. In any case, both DH and I thought the beds were fine... and I'm like the princess and the pea so when I say fine, it really was fine (with the egg-crate. BTW, we were in a mini-suite.

 

I'm not writing a review because it's been done more than once for the Golden. We are frequent travelers on Princess (came in as the 3rd most traveled). I looked with a keen eye and must say, I couldn't find anything wrong with the Golden. It's been kept up very nicely. I think our cabin had new carpet and drapes... at least they appeared new. Don't know about the bedspread because I asked the steward to remove it for the duration of our cruise. And, the food was great, way above par... more than likely because of the new executive chef, Jean Peter. We were included in the 1st Chef's Table... expensive but worth every penny. The food was amazing! If you want to do it, call the dining room the minute you first board. They had 2 Chef Table's on our 7 day, with 8 people at each dinner.

[minniemom]

Did the Star get new bedding? We are going on Star in June, how do you find out about new bedding?

[2Oregonians]

We just disembarked the Golden this a.m. This was our 1st time on the Golden and as is our custom, we had a Dolphin deck mini. I thought it strange that our sofa was smaller than the longer ones we've always had on the Grand, Diamond and Sapphire. Is this usual for the Golden?

 

Since my DH also snores, I always ask the steward to make the beds into twins. I find that helps a lot. Occasionally, I end up on the sofa in the middle of the night. I don't bother pulling out the bed, just take a sheet and blanket and stretch out on the sofa. But, because the sofa was so short this time, there was no way I could use it as an alternate sleeping space. I sure hope Princess isn't replacing the long mini-suite sofas with shorter ones.

 

Which cabin were you in specifically?

[Sandy R]

We were in Dolphin 505, an AA category mini. Although smaller than we're used to, it was a sofa bed, but obviously for only one person.

[2Oregonians]

We were in Dolphin 505, an AA category mini. Although smaller than we're used to, it was a sofa bed, but obviously for only one person.

 

You were about 14 rooms back from where ours will be in July. Same side of the ship. So how did you like the layout of the ship? Easy to find your way around even the first day? Or did it take you a day or so to get used to it? Any tips on secluded places to go at night? One late night on the Sun, my husband and I "discovered" the Lotus pool at the aft of the Riviera deck. We sat in a couple of deck chairs and enjoyed the peace and quiet and seclusion. A decade later, my husband still mentions that as one of the highlights of the trip. :)

[Sandy R]

Oregon... we've sailed on the Grand several times and since the Golden is a sister ship to the Grand, we felt right at home. We like the large ships because of the several entertainment venues offered at night. We really enjoyed the Promenade Deck 7 Piano Lounge with the piano player, now that the bar has been made a non-smoking bar... big improvement. Oh, before dinner we always sat at the Lobby Bar Deck 5... they have a wonderful mariachi trio that took requests. Also, most of the theater shows were new... and they were quite good. Only problem was that to get a good seat, you had to get there at least 30 minutes before the performance. Enjoy your cruise!