Back from Alaska-The Golden Princess (6/20-6/27)

[kimchee1212]

I'm at SEATAC right now; just disembarked from the Golden Princess less than two hours ago. I'll have a review, pics, and videos up in the next day or so.

 

Feel free to ask any questions, my flight doesn't leave for four hours :rolleyes:

[srbeachbum]

How was the weather? We leave July 6 to spend a week in Anchorage/Denali National Park before getting on the Island Princess on July 13. Trying to decide what to pack for myself & my 14 year old son. Was it warm enough for shorts?:)

[kimchee1212]

Weather blessed us on this cruise :D. Seattle was overcast when we left, and Juneau was cloudy with an afternoon rain, but after that--we had amazing weather. Skagway had pure blue skies with the sun out, Ketchikan also was sunny, and the Endicott Arm Fjord (we couldn't enter Tracy) was magnificent, not a cloud in the sky.

 

I'd bring one pair of shorts just in case. It actually got quite hot in some of the towns :D

[kimchee1212]

I suppose I'll be doing my review in parts.

 

 

Let's just do Day 1 for now :D

 

Let me start out by saying a few quick things:

-The food was the best we've ever had on Princess.

-The service was the best we've ever had on Princess.

-The captain, John Foster, and cruise director, David Cole, as well as our server, Arnulfo, were all the best.

-We skipped Tracy, and went to Endicott, due to fog, which I definitely did see and understand. We passed the mouth of Tracy and had to keep blowing the fog horn, so Captain Foster decided to just turn around and head to Endicott, his personal favorite fjord.

-The naturalist, Michael, was really knowledgeable and entertaining, despite his odd speaking tone.

-We missed Victoria due to high winds, which I actually didn't feel, but I trust the Cptn's judgement. We got right to the side of town though, we could see it from our window quite closely.

 

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

The alarm went buzzing at 5 A.M., and I rushed into the shower to wake myself up. I then got dressed, gathered up 2 family members that went with me, and we headed to LAX. OUr flight was on time, a relief, and we left LAX around 7:40 and landed at SEATAC at 10:05. No hassle, very easy, kudos to Virgin America. We then contemplated whether to explore Seattle, or just head to the ship, and we chose the latter. We arrived earlier than we've ever arrived before at a cruise terminal. After a 20 minute drive to Pier 91, we were there! The ship came into view and our stomaches tightened. It was about 10:45 and we went to the terminal, checked in and went through security, all under 10 minutes or so. We then got in the three lines to get onboard, as they hadn't started letting passengers on yet. We were on around 11:10 or so, and went to check out our balcony stateroom, mid-ship on Baja Deck. The space was cozy, as expected, and the balcony was bigger than we had thought it to be. Our steward, Timothy, then introduced himself, and every time we saw him, we'd get a huge smile and small talk, something we've never actually experienced before to such a degree on any cruise line.He was truly excellent; room was spick and span. We had lunch at the Horizon Court, but I'm happy to say that the Donatello Dining Room was open :D! We then just explored the ship and unpacked, and headed to the muster drill. Then we went to sailaway, which was definitely quieter than usual, and we were on our way. The sailaway view is beautiful. We tried the International Cafe for the first time ever, and truly fell in love. We then booked the Crown Grill for what was supposed to be Victoria on Friday, at 6 PM, so we could explore the town. Then, we headed to dinner--second seating traditional in the Canaletto Dininng Room. Our server, Arnulfo, and our assistant waiter, Vasiliy introduced themselves, and they were a great duo. Never before had we had such a close connection to our server. Dinner was great, prime rib for all three of us, spring rolls were delicious, as was the salad. Turned out to be the best food on a cruise we've had yet. We then went to MUTS, our very first experience with it, and watched Marley and Me on it. it was really cold out, but we managed with the blankets we provided. Then, we headed to bed in hopes of another great day.

 

 

More to come :p

[Lynda90]

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to next installment! :p

[Coolmama_1]

Looking forward to hearing more. Thanks for sharing

[kimchee1212]

Saturday, June 21, 2009

Our first sea day aboard! Being that Princess does go west of Vancouver Island, we did have a little bit of rocky seas our first and second night, as well as our sixth, but it wasn't that bad, just a little bit of motion in the ocean! We woke up around 9ish, and headed up to HC for breakfast. It was good. On the Golden, the buffet stewards had silverware at the table, and provided drink service the entire cruise. That was a first for us as well. Our prior experiences showed that that happened for the first day or so, but didn't last after the second or third. Pax would have to get their own silverware and drinks, not a big deal at all, but a nice touch. We used the stairs to get everywhere, never stepped foot in an elevator. I figure that I owe my body that much after having it endure a cruise :). Let's see. We headed to Demonstration Nation, which had fruit/sushi/flower carving/making/organizing, followed by a martini demonstration; all very nice and cute. We then pretty much relaxed and for the first time, I've never done it before sadly, we ate in the dining room for something else besides dinner! Lunch seating turned out to be an absolute delight on days when we weren't in port, and I am hooked on it now :). The rest of the day flew away with exercise on the Promenade deck, snacks at the INternational Cafe, and relaxing on our balcony. We then watched Carlos Oscar's comedy in the Vista Lounge, which was alright, got better as we went through it. It was a formal, we went to the Captain's address and waterfall then headed to our first formal dinner. Had the beef medallions, so tender and juicy--absolutely delicious. Stopped by Princess Pop Star, and went to bed around 11. Another great day at sea. This day really flew by fast. Juneau would come next!

 

I have all of the patters, papers, as many as you can imagine. I stuffed them all in my backpack that I took along, so if you need a document, just ask me :).

 

To be continued...

[Travel_Lover28]

I have all of the patters, papers, as many as you can imagine. I stuffed them all in my backpack that I took along, so if you need a document, just ask me :).

 

Yes, I would like to see the Golden Patter for Alaska. We're going on July 18. Do you happen to have menus for the dining also? How was the Crown Grill? What things did you do or see that are a must? Please tell us more.:).....

[bubbadog]

Thank you for the review,was good to hear from someone,how the golden was doing,we are going next saturday,and looking forward to seeing the new stuff from the drydock:));):D

[firefly4423]

very cool, glad to hear.

[Kylira]

Thank you so much for posting! DH and I are on our first cruise ever...on the Golden in late August, and it's so nice to hear your experiences. Can't wait to read more!! :D

[kimchee1212]

Yes, I would like to see the Golden Patter for Alaska. We're going on July 18. Do you happen to have menus for the dining also? How was the Crown Grill? What things did you do or see that are a must? Please tell us more.:).....

I do actually, with the exception of the third night, which is the Alaskan Dinner. This replaces the usual French and Mediterranean Menu, and was quite nice, featuring a lot of fish, including salmon, prawns, and juicy steak.

I actually posted all of the menus awhile back on the boards. Let me try to find it. The Crown Grill was wonderful. The steaks were cooked perfectly, and considering the lobster which can be ordered in unlimited quantity, it's a great deal. I had a 8 oz filet and lobster tail with a bisque for soup and prawns with papaya for my appetizer. Yum!

 

In Juneau, I have to call Mendenhall Glacier a must-see. The pictures that I had seen online didn't really impress me that much, but in person, it's a jaw-dropping experience. The first view of the glacier is magnificent. Make sure to venture out all the way to the waterfall, so that you're standing right next to it, the view is fantastic with icebergs taller than people towering.

 

As for the rest, I'll post more of my review soon :)

 

Thank you for the review,was good to hear from someone,how the golden was doing,we are going next saturday,and looking forward to seeing the new stuff from the drydock:));):D

 

 

Enjoy it, it's a beautiful ship!

 

 

Thank you so much for posting! DH and I are on our first cruise ever...on the Golden in late August, and it's so nice to hear your experiences. Can't wait to read more!!

 

First cruise?! You're going to fall in love. I'll have more up soon including pics and even some videos.

[kimchee1212]

I do actually, with the exception of the third night, which is the Alaskan Dinner. This replaces the usual French and Mediterranean Menu, and was quite nice, featuring a lot of fish, including salmon, prawns, and juicy steak.

I actually posted all of the menus awhile back on the boards. Let me try to find it. The Crown Grill was wonderful. The steaks were cooked perfectly, and considering the lobster which can be ordered in unlimited quantity, it's a great deal. I had a 8 oz filet and lobster tail with a bisque for soup and prawns with papaya for my appetizer. Yum!

 

In Juneau, I have to call Mendenhall Glacier a must-see. The pictures that I had seen online didn't really impress me that much, but in person, it's a jaw-dropping experience. The first view of the glacier is magnificent. Make sure to venture out all the way to the waterfall, so that you're standing right next to it, the view is fantastic with icebergs taller than people towering.

 

As for the rest, I'll post more of my review soon :)

 

 

 

 

Enjoy it, it's a beautiful ship!

 

 

 

 

First cruise?! You're going to fall in love. I'll have more up soon including pics and even some videos.

 

 

Here you go. I didn't actually take pictures of the menus, but I did type them up awhile back. The menus are identical except for Italian Dinner was moved to the fourth night, French+Med was removed, and an Alaskan Dinner was given the third.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=978889&highlight=

[kimchee1212]

Monday, June 22, 2009

Also, regarding patters, my scanner isn't working, so stand by for those. ;)

 

Today was Juneau! We woke up around 9 AM, grabbed some breakfast in the Horizon Court and hung around the International Cafe until we arrived right on time at noon. Man, the International Cafe is delicious. Paninis, salads, and soups during the day, grilled to perfection, not to mention the completely fresh out of the oven cookies. So warm and chewy....I want one now!

Anyways, we left the ship right away, and we had pre-ordered a shuttle for $12/pp/each way. We got on it, it was right across the pier, and we headed to Mendhenhall. We had narration, although when booking it said that it wouldn't be provided, so that was nice. Today was the only day where weather wasn't on our side. We had cloudy skies at this point. We approached Mendenhall Glacier and from the very tips of the trees I saw the highest point of it. As we reached closer, people on our shuttle were gasping at the enormity and majesty of that amazing glacier. We hopped off the shuttle right in front of the glacier, and hiked over a huge pile of rocks to get as close as possible. The hike over the rocks took a good 10 minutes as you had to get on hands and knees, but it was really worth it. We stood right next to the huge, loud, raging white waterfall and were treated with tall icebergs and a front seat view of Mendenhall. We were so close that the waterfall continuously sprayed in our face and sprayed mist across our camera. When we were there, they were constructing a trail through the rocks, so everyone could go there more accessibly. Definitely go. A must see. We spent a good two hours there and headed to catch the next shuttle. As soon as we hopped on, it started raining, so I suppose weather waited for us :D.We headed to downtown Juneau, and went to go through a free tour, I repeat free :p, of the government building. We saw the Governor's Office, as well as the Lt. Governor's Office. It was about a 30 minute tour, informative, but not a must-do, as much of the building was closed for construction. Palin actually lives in Anchorage, and we heard 2 jokes relating to the SNL skit on that day from locals :p. We looked for a lunch place for an hour and a half. There really aren't too many inside of Juneau. So we settled for the Hanger, which wasn't very good...at all. Very expensive lunch for miniscule crab legs. After this, we continued to walk around the quaint little town, but it got a little too rainy and cold, so we headed for the ship after a good 5 hours in town. The Amsterdam and Eurodam were there as well. We took a peak at Cinematastic, and we were not very happy with it. We walked out:rolleyes:. It turns out I mixed things up, Cinemantastic was on the sea day, Carlos was in Juneau :p. We had dinner, it was the Alaskan Dinner, and it featured quite a bit of fish. I had prawns with beef tenderloin medallions, and they were so tendered. Great dinner and we headed to bed for Skagway!

[JSWalk]

Thank you so much for posting your review. We are on the Golden in August.:D So I am anxiously awaiting the rest of your review posts.:)

[kimchee1212]

Pictures are uploading to WebShots very, very slowly. I do have over 800, so if you take the time to view everyone, you deserve a prize :p

 

I also took over 100 videos, but I doubt all are that interesting, just took a walk around the decks, toured random spots, did panoramas of the destinations. If you want me to upload a specific video, just let me know.

[kimchee1212]

Actually, as they upload one by one, they pop up on the album.

 

There are about 39 up so far. I have 821 that will eventually load up.

 

But if you are needing something to view immediately, look here

http://travel.webshots.com/album/573271370WGWdgh

 

:)

[kimchee1212]

I have really enjoyed your review! We'll be going on this cruise in a month and can't wait. From your pictures, my son appears to be the same age as yours. How was the cruise for him? What type of activities were in the teen area?

 

Also, did you go to the Crown Grill? It's our anniversary, and we are hoping to go there. The hard part is deciding which night with the late night in some ports and the regular dining menu.

 

My last question is how rough the seas were on the beginning and end of your cruise into Seattle. We are a further to the front than I wanted so I am a little nervous w/ my DH and motion sickness.

 

I look forward to hearing the rest of your review!

 

He loves to cruise. Dressing up on formal night, and the service...he just loves it :D. He liked this cruise, but I don't think he went to the teen club that often because we were usually off the boat, but I do have the teen schedules. They had just about everything you can think of. The first night was mostly icebreaker games, followed by a big "Welcome Aboard Dance Party". The sea day had everything from Twister to scavenger hunts to t-shirt graffiti to dodgeball to a talent show. Teens can't be board on this cruise. There are activities every thirty minutes on sea days, and in ports every hour or so. :p.

 

I did go to the Crown Grill on the very last night of the cruise. I definitely agree that it was a difficult choice as to when to go considering the itinerary. SInce we had second seating at 8 pm, going to Victoria would conflict with that schedule, so we booked the Crown Grill for 6 PM on the day we were supposed to go to Victoria. Congratulations on your anniversary, by the way!

 

The motion sickness wasn't that bad. Just an occasional bump to the left, or a few stabilizer bumps. Once in the inside passage, the water is as smooth as glass; waves can barely be seen. A Bonine, which we took when we were not inside the passage, took care of it all. I don't think you should have too much of a problem.

[CrusinAgain]

Do you plan to post the Patters? We will be booking the Golden for May of 2010 and are anxiously planning of course.

[spingal]

I will be on the Golden in November for a cruise to Hawaii. It is so nice to see the ship!!! Thanks for your pictures and I am enjoying your review. :D:D

[kimchee1212]

Do you plan to post the Patters? We will be booking the Golden for May of 2010 and are anxiously planning of course.

 

 

I am planning to, but my scanner's USB cable to my laptop is broken, so I have to find another. But I do have all the Patters in my possession.

[Devil Dog]

Nice job imchee, I enjoyed your input. I was glad to read Carlos Oscar was onboard. we thought he was very funny and the best part was he was clean, as in no dirty jokes. we will be n the Golden going to Hawaii in Dec and enjoyed looking at the photos. we saile the Golden before the refurbished new look so it's go us excited to see the "new" Golden.

[kimchee1212]

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

 

One note about embarkation day--the beds were really bumpy. We asked for egg crates which helped a little bit, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable. I had never asked for an egg crate before so I was expecting an actual crate, and I was surprised when he brought foam :rolleyes:

 

Anyways, let us continue! Today was Skagway, and we had an excursion, our one and only, booked through Princess today. It was Summit, Suspension Bridge, and Salmon Bake. We woke up around 9 and had breakfast in the HC. We headed off the boat around 10 and walked around for about 3 hours. Skagway is a very small town, so there isn't too much to do except walk around, eat, and shop. They have about 30 jewelry shops owned by cruise ships...a shocking number. The Red Onion Saloon and just about every restaurant in town hosted an hour wait at least, so we headed to the ship around 1:15. We rushed to try to get lunch seating and made it by two minutes, arriving at 1:28. We had a very delicious lunch, and headed out to our excursion at 2:45. We left at 3 and our tour guide was Jo, and she was hilarious. The entire bus was roaring with laughter the entire trip and we ended up telling stories instead of learning about the Yukon. Approaching the summit of the White Pass is amazing. The tram followed most and went past where the railroad went. It was beautiful, and we were able to get off for pictures about five times. We arrived at the Suspension Bridge, which was in Canada, and the scenery was magnificent. Under the bridge when crossing are white water rapids, the view to the left--majestic snow capped mountains, and to the right--beautiful green fields and trees. It was quite a sight! Had some hot cocoa there, which was great! We then headed to Liarsville for the Salmon Bake--it is close to the pier and it took about an hour. The food was great, the salmon was delicious. They had a lot of characters there that could play songs on saws, as well as story tellers. There were huskies, and old wagons--it was quite a nice stop. Then, we headed back to the ship and said our good-byes to our wonderful tour guide. By this time it was around 7:15, close to the all-aboard time, so we went onboard and had to get dressed for dinner right away (not that we were exactly hungry after that huge meal at Liarsville). It was Italian Dinner night, which was good. We were pretty tired after this, so we hung around lounges and tuned into Princess Pop Star, and then went to bed, for our next lovely day in the Fjords!

[kimchee1212]

As you can see the magnificent view from the bridge:

[Alaska05]

How scary is the suspension bridge? Does it swing a lot when folks are walking on it? I'm not too comfortable with heights, even though I did the zipline in Ketchikan last time.