Golden Princess - Hawaii Cruise - 03 March 2011

Hi everyone,

Jane Fisher, our head office manager, has recently returned from a cruise aboard the Golden Princess.  Here is her review...

The opportunity to sail on the Golden Princess to Hawaii round trip San Pedro was too opportune to miss as I was still in Arizona and only a 5 hour drive away from the port instead of the usual lengthy flight from Kelowna BC.   However much as I enjoy onboard facilities I was not looking forward to 4 days at sea in each direction, that tends to put me off this type of itinerary, but I hadn’t been on the renovated Golden.

My husband and I decided to drive over to San Pedro the evening before because I believe it is always wise, one never knows what can happen to delay a journey even if it is a fairly short trip, and why not have a relaxing start to a holiday, makes sense to me.   We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, San Pedro as it is close to the port, our car would be garaged and looked after while we were away and we would be whisked to and from the port by the hotel shuttle, no hanging about an airport waiting for the shuttle to appear.  I was impressed with the service from check-in to check-out, I had requested a patio room and that is what we got, perfect to walk out in the evening for a swim, the rooms are spacious and well equipped.  The buffet breakfast was more than adequate.   I was even more impressed with the short transfer to the pier and the efficient handling of our luggage from hotel to ship, we had no luggage tags as we only booked 3 days before departure, but that was no problem; we were met immediately we stepped from the van and asked if we needed anything, when I said we had no luggage tags or cabin number, we were told no problem, please wait here and I will get that for you.  He was back in 2 minutes with our tags, fixed them to the bags, directed us to the next entrance and then disappeared.   Seamless professionalism ensued from there on, there was no waiting in lines anywhere and 15 minutes from arrival at the port we were onboard.  We had been told our cabin was ready and our luggage would arrive shortly.  It was only 1pm and we were onboard and within minutes our luggage was in our cabin! High praise to Princess efficiency.

The first thing I noticed was the wood, so mellow, so very classy, so beautiful, and I was enthralled, in the short time it took to get to our cabin I had already fallen in love with the ship. Quiet elegance was the thought in my mind at that time and that did not change, the Golden Princess is a beautifully elegant, yet comfortable ship.    The next thing I noticed was how clean everything was, no dirty corners at doorways or fingerprints on glass, remarkable especially on changeover day.  Even on such a busy day every crew member I saw or spoke to was smiling and seemed happy at their work.

My first 4 days at sea were busy as I had arranged tours and visits all over the ship, including the spa and galley, the days passed so quickly I almost forgot I was at sea!   The Golden has an amazing array of facilities and entertainment day and night, nothing boring about any of it, it was more a case of how much does one want to do?   The spa services are comprehensive and excellent, with classes and demonstrations on every subject pertaining to a person’s well being, these classes were not boring at all, quite the opposite, I enjoyed the theory despite not participating, I like the “do as I say, not as I do” adage, I couldn’t begin to think about dieting, never mind do it, alas I have no will power at all.  All the different spa treatments and massage techniques, well that was a different story, I could spend a lot of time having hot stones calm my aching shoulders, even if they didn’t exactly ache, it felt wonderful.

I also spent a bit of time in the kids/teens centre, not busy on this sailing but there were a lot of organized activities for all ages up to 17 years, never a dull moment from what I could see.  The sports court up top was well kitted out, even had a small putting green and some people had brought their putters with them and did use the facility.

I love wood, perhaps that is not the best introduction to inspire a reader to cruise the high seas or any sea, however I was totally smitten with the Golden Princess as soon as I stepped aboard, she is a beautiful ship and everywhere I looked was wood, highly polished, beautifully grained, honey golden wood in many mellow hues.

The swimming pools and hot tubs were large and never crowded, I liked that there were small plunge pools and lounging areas throughout the ship and plenty of hot tubs, so if you did want some quiet time beside a pool it was available.  This was especially nice as the main pool area is where “movies under the stars” is situated, a huge 2 story screen on one wall of the pool shows films day and night, and in the evening blankets and hot chocolate are provided for the hardy folks willing to relax outdoors.   Princess promotes this facility as one of their main innovations; to me it was a new slant on the old drive in movies, without the cars, but still with people in their pyjamas!   I found it intrusive when at this pool area and avoided it as it was extremely loud no matter where one sat, which was a pity because there are lovely lounge decks and small semi-enclosed lounging areas in the vicinity that would have been perfect for relaxing in the sun or reading a book.

However it did not seem to bother most people and there are other areas onboard than one can sit quietly and chat or simply relax.   I toured one of the galleys, as I walked through the door it immediately struck me how efficiently laid out everything was and the stainless steel equipment and tables were glistening, a sparkling testimony to the staff who obviously work hard at keeping it clean and tidy and each section performed like clockwork, as an array of desserts were being laid out ready to go to the buffet, a sight to behold indeed and very comforting to know that the kitchens were spotlessly clean.

Princess has introduced an adult’s only area called the Sanctuary, it is designed to be very plush, relaxing and romantic with cosy seating nooks and lounge area. A small pool completes the amenities.  It is quite secluded, all very attractive and available for a fee, not a large fee that would perhaps dissuade people from using the facility, nevertheless it was not busy at all, I admired the concept but was not captivated, it did not reach out to me at all, I thought it cold and functional really, I did not sense any atmosphere, but I am sure the passengers on each sailing will have different views on the Sanctuary and it will be used more on some sailings than on others.


The ships lounges are attractive and at all times during the day and evening there are activities or entertainment, from dance lessons, art auctions, bingo, trivia games, movies, concerts, culinary demonstrations and lectures,  as this was a Hawaiian cruise, that was the theme in many of the activities  Lei making, Ukulele lessons and Hula dancing, lots of fun.  Skywalker’s nightclub is a fantastic venue for late evening dancing, I just loved the layout and the dance floor lighting, the music called out to me, “dance” so I did! The Atrium was the scene for much afternoon and early evening entertainment which is a lovely backdrop for a pianist or singer and seemed to encourage lots of people to listen or watch and some danced.  On each level of the Atrium there are shops, full of clothing, jewelry, perfume, bags, souvenirs and mundane stuff like toothpaste, in fact there did not seem to be much that one could not buy.  A number of sales were held in one of the dining rooms on sea days and oh my, pushing and shoving for bargains was reminiscent of Wall-Mart on Boxing Day.  The casino was large and as usual drew crowds of people when it was open.  The art gallery onboard this sailing did not seem to attract many people although I enjoyed browsing and did see some incredible works on display.  The displays were changed quite often and although I did not notice many sold stickers on paintings, there could have been quite a number sold.

The staff was excellent, very attentive without being intrusive, somehow someone wearing a huge smile appeared just when one was wanted and nothing seemed to be any bother at all.  Our cabin steward despite always being busy had time to chat, and one day I walked along to my cabin carrying my sandals, the strap had broken on one of them and it was simply easier to take them off, as soon as he saw me he rushed along and asked “what has happened to you, are you okay?”   When I told him I was fine but my sandal was ready for the bin, he threw up his hands in horror, “oh, no, I will speak to my supervisor, we will fix it”.   He wouldn’t hear otherwise and sure enough the next day he appeared all smiles and obviously delighted with himself, my sandal had been repaired, it was proffered to me cradled in both his hands, crikey I had tears in my eyes seeing the joy on his face.

My husband and I enjoy food especially the desserts and there was plenty to choose from, we tried all the eating venues, main dining rooms, buffet, Sabatinis, snack bars, even the ice-cream parlour, we were looked after very well everywhere, enticed with mouthwatering menus even before we entered the dining rooms, each and every meal was excellent, fussy as I am no complaints at all.   We did partake of room service most mornings, I justify that luxury as being kind to the coffee shop staff saving them from having to deal with cranky me first thing in the morning if I had to dress to go and get coffee.

I seemed to have had the busiest and most interesting, fun 4 days at sea that I can remember and by the time we reached Kauai, I needed a holiday

This Hawaii itinerary called at Kauai, Maui, Oahu and Hawaii (The Big Island), there is plenty of time ashore to participate in one or two shore excursions on each island, depending on what one chooses to do.  Princess have a wide range of excursions available to pre-purchase or buy onboard, however shore excursions can also be purchased from reputable companies prior to sailing or once ashore, it is worth noting that some companies do not guarantee to have passengers back on time for the ship sailing, oh, oh, be careful, don’t be caught out with a cheap excursion, but a costly transfer (if possible) to the next port of call.

Unfortunately disaster was to strike Japan in the form of a hurricane whilst our ship was leaving the Big Island and the ensuing Tsunami was headed for the Hawaiian Islands and the coast of mainland USA, fortunately ship’s Captains are up to date on events around the world even when something is occurring many, many miles from where they are situated, the resulting consequences of such events can and do impact communities in far flung places.   The Tsunami passed under the ship in the small hours of the morning to the surprise of every passenger aboard, we never felt a thing!   Apparently the safest place for a ship to be in these circumstances is out on the ocean.  It is comforting to know, but it is of little solace to those whose lives were so horribly affected by the disaster.

The Golden Princess was headed for San Pedro but not without a stop enroute at Ensenada, was I happy with the thought? Actually yes, because 4 solid days at sea with nothing to do but relax, enjoy the facilities and eat, eat and eat was just a wee bit too much to bear, therefore a day in Ensenada with slightly less food was appeasing my conscience a little so taking a trip up the mountain to get wet from a huge Blowhole was sounding quite attractive by the time we berthed at the pier.  My only grumble at this trip is the constant hassling to buy from every stall along the seemingly endless track to the Blowhole and knowing that it will be the same on the way back!  Oh I know, it is a good way for the locals to earn a living except, I just can’t say no…………..

Really, it was all too soon that the Golden Princess docked in San Pedro and we were being shuttled back to the hotel to collect out car and hit the road for the pleasant, waterless drive back to the Arizona desert, what a contrast?

I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise on the Golden Princess; if I have a complaint it is that the Internet service was extremely expensive, excessively slow and intermittent at best, however no different than on any other ship, I was on holiday, why was I using the internet anyway?

Would I recommend this ship and that itinerary?  Yes absolutely.   Happy sailing

Jane