We previously heard that Princess was Highest standard of cruise line; we were very excited to be cruising with them~ We were very disappointed with the poor customer communication, you were made to feel very unimportant and having no family pools bopen on a cruise is a disgrace! We were unable to even be given a reason why by the front counter when questioned, just ignored and told that they did not know why? It was really sad seeing all the children dressed in their bathers waiting for pool to open that never did. The food was fantastic and the kitchen do a great job to create the Meals and so efficiently but the waiters and bar staff had no personality or entertaining value. We were just served. The Entertainment around the boat was minimal and often quiet boring However the Comedy show and Dolly Parton show was very entertaining thankfully. Overall we were very disappointed and will be only cruising with other liners Read Less

As always easy embarkation in Melbourne. Have not cruised Princess before and was pleasantly surprised (did not enjoy Carnival Legend last month) at the Golden Princess. Passengers were all well behaved and very friendly and we enjoyed the interactions we had with them and the wonderful crew. The ship itself has many lounges and bars to accommodate the large number of passengers and because of this it never seems crowded (our cruise was full) and the ship copes and flows well. Food was great in both the Horizon Food Court or Donatello’s anytime dining. We recieved a room upgrade the week before from an inside to a window. Room was small but with a dressing area. The bed was one of the best we had ever slept in - soft and comfy. The Cruise Director on the Golden Princess is PJ and he and his team are wonderful. Lots of things to do and great entertainment. Apart from the GP band and entertainers we had George Kalombaris from “Acropolypse Now” doing a comedy routine and the next night Donna Campbell presenting her Dolly Parton show. Both were great. The crew did a wonderful Jonas for the first 24 hours we had terrible weather and many people were unwell - the cleaning staff were put to the test. Overall we enjoyed this cruise very much and look forward to traveling on Princess again or on the GP when it goes over to P&O. Also particularly enjoyed the safety videos presented by the original Love Boat crew. Nice touch! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it left from our home town of Melbourne and meant that we could celebrate Christmas and New Year on board ship. I had high expectations and was not disappointed. Everything from the food to the entertainment was excellent. We enjoyed all of the on shore excursions and found them easy to access. The service on board was excellent, there was always plenty of people to help, serve and assist. It was lovely spending Christmas on board where everything was taken care of. The entertainment, on every night, was of a very high standard and we truly enjoyed the variety of singers and performers. Our cabin, and especially the bed, was very comfortable. The television big and easy to watch and a good variety of programs. Not that we spent much time in the cabin, there was plenty to see and do throughout the ship. We are already planning our next trip! Read Less

I had travelled on the Golden Princess around 2 years ago and enjoyed it very much, so we had no hesitation in making another booking and looked forward to our first Christmas & New Year away at sea.I then started doubting if I had done the right thing as there were so many negative reviews during the months previous to our departure. I am so glad that I chose to ignore them as we had a magnificent time. Yes, there are some signs of wear and tear, yes there was the odd leak of water and I actually did see one bar waiter who had forgotten how to smile. Did these things wreck my cruise experience - no way! I have decided some people expect way too much, or haven't done enough research as to what product they are buying. 2 fellow travellers mentioned they weren't enjoying the cruise very much and upon my questioning them as to why, I never got a proper answer so I soon dismissed what they had to say. On the contrary, the majority of people were having fun, there was a very mixed age group and quite a number of younger people and families but maybe this was because of the Christmas departure. Our Mini-suite was clean, comfortable and did the job. Tiny bit of rust out on the balcony but after all, she is a ship at sea and this will happen over time. First time we had shared the cabin with a 3rd person and the sofa bed was made up each night and reverted back to a sofa during the day. Also first time for Anytime Dining for us. Worked well and we never had to wait. Food excellent - lots of choice, food was served hot and we never had to wait any length of time for drinks. Loved the burger bar and pizza bar up on deck. Horizon Court was good for us for breakfast, and we enjoyed the odd room service breakfast which arrived on time. Cruise Director P.J. was one of the best I have experienced. Entertainment crew were very good, as were bar staff. Shows were super, and my only gripe was that I never managed to win a Trivia game - I so wanted one of those "life changing" prizes! Only did one shore excursion out of Auckland to Waheiki Island - worked well although the start time was very early morning but that would have been due to an alteration in our arrival/departure times for Auckland. Would I travel again? Yes. Next cruise is booked again on the Golden. I can see that you could find fault in some areas if you try hard as she is an older ship, but I think you have to be fair and nothing spoilt my holiday and I have come home feeling refreshed and with some lovely memories. Read Less

Boarding was very well organised, and we where on board very quickly. First impression was very good, our cabin was an internal Cabin, very good size with walk in wardrobe, and plenty of room to store our suitcases under the bed. The Cabin was very clean as was the bathroom, Our cabin steward introduced herself, and made sure we had everything we needed. She did a great job and looked after us very well. We went to the Horizon Buffet restaurant, lots of tables and chairs and full windows giving the best view while eating. The food was very good, and Good choices. All the crew were very good, We set off for New Zealand, good night of entertainment. Even though the ship was fully booked we always found a seat in the Bars, and restaurants. And the international Cafe, It was good to see the complementary soft serve ice cream still available on this ship. The cruise tours where all very good and very well organised We had a very good time, experiencing Christmas and New Year celebrated on the one cruise. We did not want to get off, this was our 15th Princess cruise and have another already booked Read Less

This cruise took in Christmas and New Year, our 8th at this time of year. Princess do it so well thta we had no worries about doing it again even though it was our 5th of this type to NZ. Princess never let us down when it comes to special times of the year. The crew, entertainment, food, service were all up to the standard we have come to know and understand as being what Princess cruises are about. We have tried a couple of other companies but they do not have the same standard so why go with them? We try to do at least two cruises a year and use the future cruise facilities on board to book ahead, far better than any travel agent asd they have a far better understanding of the ships and ports of call. As they say, 'come back new' even if you are abit older on the next one. Read Less

We traveled with our nieces 2 children on a short cruise to Tasmania as a Christmas present to them.They were first time cruisers and were blown away with everything on board. At the end of the cruise they said that they didn't want to get off the ship and when could they do another cruise. They were on Baja deck B410 in an outside balcony cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the cabin and the attention that their steward gave them for the whole cruise. The kids particularly liked the 3rd bunk bed that was lowered each night by the steward. They did some amazing things on the cruise and loved the views from the balcony each day. We thought that being 10 and 8 years old the great nieces would prefer the buffet dining but they actually went all of the time to the main dining room and really enjoyed the food and service there. Special mention to all the staff who looked after them on the ship. They did an excellent job. We have done 27 Princess cruises and as far as we are concerned this cruise was as usual excellent. The only problem that we have is with the internet. It is absolutely hopeless and Princess don't seem to be able to get it any faster. Well done to all the staff who looked after us on the ship. They did a magnificent job. Special mention to our cabin steward Nilo and the excellent staff in the Club Class Dining room who were all brilliant. Read Less

This was our second cruise on the Golden Princess around New Zealand. We love the fact the Golden Princess also has an indoor pool which is great for the south island of New Zealand. We were fortunate and had reasonable weather. The ship is aging but is well looked after. It has undergone refurbishment since we last cruise on her 3 years prior. I appreciate the hand washing basins entering the Horizon food court. We had anytime dining in the main dining room. Which was convenient for time but you do have different waiters each night. Which I felt was a disadvantage as there was less passion for your table. We enjoyed the ease of the Horizon buffet mostly at lunch and the meal choices seem to change enough to suit our needs. We dined at sabatini's one night and found it to be good value and delicious. This was also the first time I had used the international Cafe. It was quite convenient to get a cheese melt and they had a selection of different pies and salads each day. We ordered room service breakfast on our early port day. It always arrived hot and on time. I love room service. Children love the burger and pizza eateries the best. They're right there on the open pool deck, 11am to 11pm. A very popular spot around lunchtime. They also serve hot chips, if you have fussy eaters. At the bar a can of soft drinks is $3.75. Kids mocktails are $6.50 and a glass of wine averages $13. I don't remember the price of beer, sorry. I enjoyed every port. We had only booked private tours and none through princess. This was due to the price. I booked local tours after reading reviews from past Cruisers. Some companies offer a guaranteed return to ship on time or they pay the expense of getting you to the next port. Zealandia in Tauranga we booked and paid from home. It was a small group tour of only eight on the bus. The tour included both Hobbiton and Rotorua, with plenty of food. We returned and boarded an hour prior to "all aboard' time. Very happy to recommend this Company. Another tour we enjoyed was through Good Company Tours in Dunedin and we also independently did the 'There and Back Again' tour of the Weta Workshop in Wellington, which we had done previously. The tour bus leaves daily opposite the visitor centre. Which conveniently is opposite the cruise ship shuttle drop off/pickup point. We treated Gisborne as a rest day and just wandered the shops for a few hours. We purchased some Christmas presents here. We booked jet boating in Akaroa. It was beautiful! We had a tour of the harbour and some spins at the end. We saw seals, nesting areas, abalone and salmon farms. Highly recommend this tour (privately) 2 min walk from tender drop off and it only lasts an hour. No way to miss the ship. I attended all the port lectures, only a could of shows, the young jugglers were brilliant. The ship was rocking and they did a great job. I visited the spa a couple of times (I waited for specials) the staff were lovely in the spa. There was no hard sell, just a couple of suggested products which weren't pushed on to me. I used the gym, the equipment was well maintained and functional. Offering treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and weights. I always find it hard to run on a moving ship. We loved kids club. Princess have a great kids club. The staff are kind, patient and fun. The activities change daily and suit the age groups. The kids also have free time so they can relax and it's not to many activities. Kids club always run a kids dinner on formal night, so there are less children in the dining room on formal nights. The kids just love kids dinners. Makes them feel grown up and it's nice to share a meal with your new friends. There is always less children on Princess compared to other Oz based ships eg P & O, Carnival. But the kids club program is great. The only gripe is the smoking area is outside where the kids exit on to deck 15. It was in the same place last time we sailed on this ship. If they moved it across the deck to the other side it would be outside the day spa. Better or worse? The last comment goes to hard working room stewards. Friendly, interesting and hard working. They did a great job. I love getting that Princess chocolate on my pillow every night. Read Less

Cruise was chosen by our travel agent and we weren’t disappointed at all. Loved every minute of it...lots to do, see,hear and experience . Did find the up selling at stores and with the photography annoying, but obviously many people didn’t. Ports we docked at were beautiful and tender travel to shore was very well run. Embarkation and disembarking ran like clockwork,as did everything else on the ship. Lots of food choices and movies shown were amongst the most recent. Activities on board were varied..maybe a few more male oriented could be included..hubby found it hard to go to many of them,as predominantly female geared Ship was kept clean and tidy, and though there were a few leaks around the place,it was well maintained. Cruise director PJ and his staff did an excellent job, as did chefs and waiters and bar staff and room Stewart’s Overall a wonderful new experience. Read Less

Was looking for a relaxing way of seeing parts of NZ . Embarkation and disembarkation was was excellent and overall well organised. Piped music throughout the ship in public areas was inappropriate and too loud for the majority of the people on board. Average age was approx 60 + with most of the music suitable for 30 year olds. Entertainment eg. trivia and games was sorely lacking on some day and organised chaos on others.Hot food in buffet section was unimaginative and at times inedible. Fresh fruit was either too green or overripe. Wait staff in Horizon court were anything but, some more interested in talking to each other than cleaning off the tables. Anytime dining was great with good menus and attentive wait staff. Ship condition was questionable with many water leaks. throughout the ship. Shore excursions were reasonable.Whilst this cruise was offered at a great price, came away feeling ripped off. Princess Cruises needs to lift their game. Read Less