Never cruised before. What better way to get a taste for cruising, by doing a short cruise. I embarked the Golden Princess in Auckland and spent 4 Nights crossing over to Sydney.
BOARDING
Dropped my bag off early in the Morning then checked in the advised time for check in which went very smoothly and not many were boarding early. This is a good opportunity to get your bearings of the ship and find your cabin etc… Note your checked bag won’t be in your room until later in the evening, be prepared with extra clothing and amenities. You are able to come off the ship after you’ve checked in.
SPACE
The Golden Princess is a large ship. You can have up to 2,600 guests on board. On this particular sailing they had no cabins left. Being part of a big group I thought I’d bump into a few people while on board browsing but that only happened only a few times. I started actively looking for people, if you were thinking that you’d see the same people all the time and be in each others face you won’t.
COMFORT: Balcony Cabin – Category BC Deck 10
I had twin bedding in my balcony cabin, which was comfortable. The luxurious bedding and the gentle rock of the ship are the perfect combination for a great nights rest. If you were thinking the Balcony’s might not be big enough, they are. On the Balcony you have a table and standard reclined deck chairs very comfortable with enough room to move around. Great way to enjoy the evening before dinner & to start the day. Bathrooms are small but very functional and equipped with the basic amenities. Showers are small but you seem to have enough space, surprisingly.
CHECK YOUR DAILY PRINCESS PITTER PATTER – This is the daily schedule which will be left in your mail tray outside your door, which is a newsletter of the following day’s activities. You can plan your day around the activities you’d like to do. Whether its, board games, table tennis, 10 pin bowling Wii, salsa classes, bingo, quiz, different musical performances, Zumba, scavenger hunt you name it. Princess cruise line are well known for there production shows, I watched ‘Born to Dance’. Fantastic quality performers and stage setup. Not one person who I spoke to didn’t enjoy the show and were pleasantly surprised.
Must Do: Go to a production show.
FOOD: YOUR NOT SHORT OF CHOICES 
There are a few speciality dining experiences such as Sabatini’s which I would definitely recommend paying the extra to dine in. Best veal I’ve tasted and fantastic service. There is a range of options of food at the Horizon Court Buffett open 6:00am to 5:30pm on Lido Deck, good to know its not the same food every day. Some main dining room selections are available in this more casual venue in which no reservations are required. Food is at no additional cost, but wine, beer, and specialty drinks are at current menu prices. Then you have the Pizzeria Where you can find freshly prepared pizzas found poolside on Lido Deck open 11:00am to 5:00pm, and from 6:30pm to midnight.
Tips for Horizon Court:
◾ Casual attire is fine, but bare feet and swim suits are not permitted.
◾ Food is at no additional cost, but wine, beer, and specialty drinks are at current menu prices.
Like a bit of Wine, do the Wine tasting on-board for only approx. 13AUD great wines paired with delicious cheeses and the entertaining story telling behind each glass.
TREAT YOURSELF THAT LITTLE BIT MORE – Visit the Lotus Spa and get yourself a treatment whether it’s a massage, body wrap, facial, acupuncture including a full service salon. Pssst… I’ve been told getting a massage portside is cheaper than when at Sea.
They’ve got great facilities for children, basketball court, kids zone and also if you’d like to escape the children then head to the Sanctuary dedicated adults only area. I did notice there weren’t many children on-board this particular cruise.
Over all a short cruise would be the best opportunity to put your feelers out there to see if cruising is for you. Why not have a taste!