Golden Princess
Start the adventure on Princess Cruises' Golden Princess. This magnificent cruise ship journeys to a number of destinations where you can lose yourself in stunning scenery, find paradise on idyllic beaches and explore amazing local cultural experiences. Together with the endless enrichment and entertainment opportunities onboard, you'll never want to come home!
A Little History
Built by the renowned Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, Golden Princess made her maiden voyage in May 2001. She was refurbished as recently as May 2012, when no expense was spared to make this a Princess that glitters on the ocean waves.
In 2014, it was announced Golden Princess would arrive in Melbourne for a maiden Australian season, from October 2015 to March 2016. This makes Golden Princess the biggest ever cruise ship to be based in Victoria's capital. Over five months, Golden Princess will take guests on 15 round trip cruises to Tasmania, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
The Ship’s Design
Golden Princess is an impressive Grand-class cruise ship with 17 decks. Her tonnage is 108,865 and she stretches an impressive 290 metres in length. She carries 2,636 passengers, and with 1,100 crew members, guests are destined to receive a high standard of personal service.
Golden Princess boasts a vast selection of suites and staterooms with private balconies, along with numerous dining options and entertainment activities. Her superb gallery-class artworks and sumptuous décor complete the perfect setting for a cruise to exotic destinations.
Guests can enjoy four pools, a large relaxing spa, 10 dining venues including the unforgettable Sabatini's and Crown Grill restaurants. At the rear of the ship, the ship's remarkable Skywalker Nightclub can be reached by a moving walkway above the decks.
On Board the Golden Princess
Golden Princess has 1,318 guest staterooms, with more than half featuring private balconies. This includes 33 suites with private balconies and 178 mini-suites with private balconies. There are two family suites with interconnecting rooms. Completing the collection, 523 Balcony staterooms and 208 Ocean View staterooms mean there are options to suit every budget. All staterooms come with everyday amenities including a hairdryer, spacious wardrobe, refrigerator, television, and bathroom with shower.
Suites with a private balcony are typically 143 square metres in size, featuring a luxurious separate sitting area with sofa bed, walk-in wardrobe, and en-suite bathroom with bath and shower. Mini suites span up to 92 square metres including a balcony, and have a separate sitting area with sofa bed, two flat-screen TVs, bathroom with massage showerhead, and luxury mattress and pillows for complete relaxation. These splendid staterooms afford you a personal perspective of the ocean through the floor to ceiling patio doors that lead to your private balcony. Plus, mini suite guests can enjoy a glass of bubbly on arrival!
Daytime Entertainment
It's pool day everyday aboard Golden Princess, with the choice of four fantastic pools. The large outdoor Calypso Reef space is a big drawcard for families, whilst the climate controlled and covered Neptune Reef guarantees your pool days can go ahead no matter the weather. Together with pools, both Calypso Reef and Neptune Reef have two hot tubs so you can extend your lazy days by the pool. And for swimmers aged 16 and over, there's a pool located in a quiet secluded spot near the Lotus Spa. If it's great views you desire while you float serenely on the water, head to the heated Terrace Pool, which has magnificent views from the aft of the ship.
Golden Princess has an excellent selection of duty-free boutiques where you can treat yourself to a new outfit for your evening's entertainment or buy gifts for friends back home. You'll find great deals on designer clothing and gifts, including Fossil, Lladro, Swarovski, Calvin Klein, Lancôme, Tommy Bahama, Clinique and Estee Lauder.
Fitness and Relaxation
The Sanctuary is quite simply Golden Princess' most tranquil on-deck space. And it's solely for adults. Lounge on comfy chairs while Serenity Stewards serve refreshments and light snacks. And why not decompress with a calming massage in the Lotus Spa? After all, this is your time to relax, rejuvenate and renew.
Sports lovers can extend their fitness regime onboard with a range of active options. Get toned in the state-of-the-art gym equipped with all the equipment you would expect of a top-class onshore gym. Out on deck, you can test your skills and competitiveness with new friends on the basketball court, nine-hole putting course, shuffleboard and more. And if you're planning to join others running around the jogging track, just remember to save some energy for a night of dancing!
Entertainment by night
Production shows and performances by top class entertainers are hosted in two show lounges – Princess Theatre and Vista Show Lounge. Golden Princess will take you on a whirlwind experience with the most talented performers – musicians, singers, dancers and more – all lined up for your entertainment. All because the theatres have great acoustics, you are always promised the best seat in the house.
Movies Under the Stars is the jaw-dropping 28 square metre movie screen, located at the Calypso Reef poolside. Snuggle up in the cool evening breezes under your blanket wrap, while watching the latest blockbuster movie releases, sporting events or concerts on the big screen. Grab your popcorn and enjoy!
When you're ready to find a secluded spot to sip cocktails with someone special or meet with new friends for a fun evening, there is an extravagant choice of bars and lounges.
One of the best nightclubs at sea, the Skywalkers Nightclub, is suspended above the sea on the ship's Sky Deck. Make a grand entrance to the top deck nightclub via a flashy motorised walkway. Once inside shimmy straight over to the multicoloured neon dance floor that lights up while you move!
All dressed up for dinner? Then you are ready for an evening in the Atlantis Casino, where you can join like-minded guest who want to chance their luck!
Food and Fine Cuisine
All Golden Princess' chefs have been inducted into the prestigious La Confrérie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society founded in 1950. They delight in providing a delectable menu for every taste, which changes every day. You'll be wowed by their culinary masterpieces and impressed by the ship's top-class service. Golden Princess offers Traditional Dining in its Canaletto Dining Room, where guests can dine at the same times for every meal, and Anytime Dining in the Donatello and Bellini dining rooms, so you're not restricted to dining at certain times.
Crown Grill and Sabatini's are two excellent onboard specialty restaurants. Crown Grill is a New York-themed restaurant, which was voted one of the “Best Cruise Ship Steakhouses” by the American daily newspaper, USA Today. It has an extensive steakhouse menu of premium-grade beef cooked to order, together with a tasty seafood menu. Sabatini's offers all the Italian and Mediterranean favourites like antipasto, pasta, seafood and to-die-for desserts like tiramisu in a Tuscan setting. Both restaurants attract a small extra charge.
Whenever you want a quick bite before you get back to your poolside spot, there are lots of casual dining and take-out options. Just after a coffee? Follow the great aroma of baking cookies and café latte. In the Piazza, the International Café serves up great coffee and snacks. Next door is the Vines Wine Bar, which USA Today voted one of the “Best Wine Bars at Sea”. Here you can pull up one of the comfy chairs and watch the street theatre entertainment, while you nibble on tapas or sushi. There are also burgers and hotdogs at Trident Grill, ice cream at Sundaes and pizza at Prego Pizzeria.
Everyone should experience the Ultimate Balcony Dining at least once! Guests whose stateroom has a balcony can enjoy breakfast or a dinner of fresh lobster, steak or more, served in the luxury of your private balcony. And there's a 24-hour room service available to all passengers.
Kids’ Entertainment
Princess Cruises provides age appropriate activities for all guests aged under 18. Activities are divided into three age groups: there's the Princess Pelican club for ages 3-7, Shockwaves for ages 8-12, and Remix for teens aged 13-17.
Teens will enjoy the latest video games, new movies, arts and crafts, table football, board games, and their very own jukebox. They can get stuck into teens-only pizza parties, hip-hop classes and special teen dinners. And they have a special teens-only sun deck and Jacuzzi where they can mingle and mix with new friends their own age.
Younger kids are entertained with Fun Zone Activities such as kids' karaoke, pizza parties, pyjama nights, theme parties, scavenger hunts, educational program, t-shirt painting and much more. And very little ones have their own splash pool area.
Group sitting services for children aged 3 to 12 are available between 10pm to 1am for a small charge.
Something You Didn’t Know
The ship asks guests to follow a dress code for dining, which may be either smart casual or formal dress. This creates a great evening ambiance for your cruise holiday. The number of formal nights will vary according to the length of the cruise. Ladies will adorn the ship in their beautiful evening gowns, cocktail dresses or pantsuits, while men will be asked to wear tuxedos, dark suits or dinner jackets.
Everyday Conveniences
There is an onboard doctor and medical centre located on the Gala deck, just in case you need medical attention while at sea. Golden Princess has 26 wheelchair accessible staterooms.
Stay Connected
Golden Princess has a 24-hour internet cafe with wireless access located on the Promenade deck; however, Internet access comes at an extra cost and 24 hour connection can't be guaranteed.