Golden Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Travelled with my daughter and her family. This cruise was chosen to fit in with Australian summer school holidays.
The kids (7 and 9) absolutely loved being in the Kids Club and were well taken care for much of the day and even between 7 and 10 pm at night. This gave Mum and Dad lots of free time to themselves and they were able to relax and unwind. The kids also loved having all their favourite foods available at any time - burgers, pizza, ice cream.
The service and food on board were both excellent. A wide range of entertainment was available. The excursions offered by Princess were far too expensive for a group of 5 however and it was much cheaper to find your own options ashore.
Cabin Review
Oceanview (obstructed view)
Having an obstructed review wasn't much of a problem, better than none. Interior a little shabby but the bed was comfortable. The TV had interference lines, but not so bad as to unwatchable.
On this voyage there was a strange problem with a drum beat. This usually started late, from around 9 or 10 nearly every night. At first I thought it was just echo or reverberation from the band on the Promenade Deck below, but when the same pattern of drumming was repeated every night, I realised it was either someone rehearsing a piece or just practising the same rhythm over and over. I don't know where it was coming from, although I did later discover it might have been a senior crew member whose hobby was drumming. By then the voyage was nearly over and I decided not to make an issue of it but other passengers might want it investigated.
Port Reviews
Dunedin
Shuttle bus provided from Port Chalmers into Dunedin and all went smoothly. Had a good walk around, but it was pretty chilly. If you want to "save a Kiwi, wear a Possum", buy your possum fur products in Dunedin and don't leave it to later, as the price nearly doubles in the North Island shops.
Wellington
Take the cable car to the Botanic Gardens for a great view of the city.