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Carrie Liddle reports from on board PRINCESS CRUISES "GOLDEN PRINCESS"
Tropical Delight Cruise
I was completely taken aback by the sheer size of the Golden Princess. It is amazing how something so huge can stay afloat! Finding your way around was helped by the colour coding of the carpet - Port was red and Starboard was blue. I just headed for the blue carpet on deck 8 and knew I'd come to my cabin sooner or later!
What I found surprising was the fact that you can make a cruise holiday what you want it to be. You can have the best of both worlds. It can be as action packed and lively as you like, or as quiet and relaxing as you like. You can keep fit in the high tech gym or pamper yourself in the hair and beauty salon. You can gamble your money away in the Casino or dance till dawn in the Skyscrapers nightclub. There are four swimming pools, one of which is always buzzing with pool games and activities. All you have to do is go up one deck to the front or back of the ship where you can just lie and soak up the sun in the peace and quiet. Waiters come round regularly to see if you need a drink so you don't have to be close to the bars and all the action.
This was my first cruise experience and it by far exceeded my expectations!
A land-based holiday will never be quite the same again!
PRE-FLIGHT HOTEL - THE GATWICK MOAT HOUSE - 3 STAR
- Very convenient, only 2 minutes by courtesy coach from the airport - Rooms well equipped and nicely decorated
- Ideal for one night stopover
FLIGHT - AMERICAN AIRLINES
We flew from Gatwick to Miami, via Dallas.
- Excellent legroom on both sectors
- Personal TV monitors on Long Haul sector
- Excellent in flight meals and service
- All flights fully booked proving people are not afraid to fly, despite
what you read in the media.
I was generally very impressed with American Airlines and it was probably the best economy
class flight I've been on so far. I'd have no hesitation in recommending them.
PRE-CRUISE HOTEL: INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, MIAMI
-Approximately 20 minutes coach journey from the airport building.
-Breakfast approximately £12.00 per person! It would be a lot cheaper
to have breakfast in one of the many diners across the street if time allows!
TRANSFER from HOTEL to PORT
Journey time to Fort Lauderdale approx 45 minutes by coach. The coach transfer
was scheduled to depart at 1200 hours but as so many people use this hotel for pre-cruise
overnight stays, the lobby was packed full of people waiting for coaches.
We ended up departing approximately 1330 hours, which meant an hour
and a half hanging around with not enough seats for everyone to sit on!
EMBARKATION
The embarkation procedure was easy to follow and quite straight forward:
- Huge warehouse type building for check-in, so there was plenty of room to sort
everyone out.
- Various check-in desks depending on what deck you are on.
- You receive a Cruise Card to use on board which acts as your cabin key,
proof of identity and is used to pay for everything on board. You receive
a statement at the end of the cruise which you can pay by cash, credit card
or travellers cheques.
CABINS
My Cabin was E815 on Emerald Deck:
- Very spacious outside cabin with twin beds.
- Large TV, fridge, dressing table, hair dryer, safe, ample shelves and
hanging space.
- Small bathroom with shower and toilet. Ample storing space for toiletries etc.
- Detailed information regarding facilities and restaurants on board.
- Weeks TV guide to programmes and films for each day of your cruise.
- Personal cabin steward for the duration of your cruise who tidies your
cabin twice a day and leaves a wee chocolate on your pillow every night!
- Clean towels daily
- Fresh fruit in your cabin available on request
COMMENTS
I was surprised by the amount of space in the cabin, especially the clothes
hanging space. I never felt closed in or claustrophobic. The decor was lovely
and the beds very comfortable.
FOOD
- 3 main dining rooms all serving the exact same menu which changed every night.
- Optional choice of Mexican and Italian restaurants available at a supplement
- 24 hour buffet with fantastic choice of salads, fresh fruit, bread rolls,
hot dishes and vegetables. The hot dishes and vegetables varied every day and were not repeated during the cruise.
- For a quick snack there is a poolside bar serving pizza and burgers.
- Personal Choice Dining is available which gives you the flexibility to eat where you want, when you want and with whom you want. Traditional dining is at a fixed time every night and you eat with the same people every night.
It is necessary to pre-book for the Mexican or Italian restaurant as they are quite small. I actually preferred the food in the main dining room and the 24 hour buffet.
COMMENTS
Overall the food was very good and varied every night so there was always something different to choose from. We were on the Personal Choice Dining which is good for getting to know more people as you can dine with someone different every night. There was no pressure to be ready for a certain time.
ENTERTAINMENT
- Two main theatres on board - Princess Theatre and Vista Lounge. The Princess Theatre was very traditional in style. In contrast, the Vista Lounge was more relaxed with comfy chairs and tables so you can enjoy a drink whilst watching a show.
- Entertainment varied from West End style shows to comedians and magicians.
- Choice of 2 or 3 different shows every night
- Princess Theatre and Vista Lounge also doubled up as a cinema.
- You receive a "Princess Patter" newsletter in the pigeon hole outside your
cabin every night which lists all the events and entertainment for the
following day/night s you can plan ahead for what you wanted to do the
next day.
COMMENTS
The good thing about the entertainment was the variety as there was something
to suit everyone and all were of an extremely high standard - very professional. If you didn't fancy a show you could just go for a quiet drink in one of the quieter bars or watch a film in your cabin.
SHORE EXCURSIONS
There were 4 days at sea and 3 ports of call:
ST MAARTEN: French owned in the North and Dutch in the South. No animosity
between the two and no noticeable differences between the two. Building work
taking place all over the island, making it quite unsightly. Lots of new
houses and villas being erected. Excellent for duty free shopping just
2 minutes by water taxi from the dock. Lovely sandy beach in front of the
shopping area. Nudist beach on the French side if you're into that sort of
thing (Ooh La La!!)
St.THOMAS (US Virgin Islands): Beautiful! Very lush with pretty flowers in
various colours. Again very good for shopping but not as cheap as St Maarten. We took a cable car ride to get a panoramic view - very worthwhile.
Nice Island to look round and go shopping but a bit quiet for a two week
holiday. Nicest beach is on the Atlantic coast at Meggans Bay. Not so many good
beaches on the Caribbean Coast.
PARADISE CAYS: Princess Cruises very own private island. Nice sandy beach
with watersports and beach barbeque. Accessed via tender as the waters are
too shallow for the ship to get in. Nice and relaxing way to spend the last
day ashore.
WEATHER
Only encountered one or two light showers except on arrival in Miami when it was pouring down! Very miserable! Generally very sunny on deck with a constant breeze. Very hot while the ship was in port. It was good to go touring and shopping in the morning then back on board to sunbathe in the afternoon as you pretty much had the ship to yourself. It got very hot without the breeze though.
COMMENTS
It was good not having to carry cash around with you as your on board account is settled at the end of your cruise.
The only down side to this cruise was the ports of call as they weren't very exciting. However, the 4 days at sea on board this beautiful ship more than compensated for that.
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