Live From the Dawn...

Departed from SF yesterday...beautiful weather so far,warming up quickly.

Ship is in fantastic shape,food is wonderful.Started with the usuals:fettucine alfredo,shrimp cocktail,ceasar salad,then the specials last night such as cream of porcini mushroom soup (yummy as always:D ),seafood terrine,seafood turnover with lobster sauce,and I had a delicious freshwater fish I can't remember the name of right now.:o

For anyone getting ready to sail her,no worries...you'll have a fantastic cruise.We have cabin C336 and we requested the foam bed topper from my TA along with the feather pillows and they were dreamy!

Will try to check in later,ask any questions you may have and I will try to answer them.

CFL

CFL,

DH and I will be on this cruise January 25, 2007. We'll be in C601. Could you stop by and check out the location. We haven't been a "sun" class ship (on "grand" class to date).

Also, we're interested in which nights are formal on the 11-night voyage.

How's the internet cafe? Is it crowded? Are the computers working well?

Thanks for your help. Will look forward to your "live from" reports.

Bon Voyage!

Chris & Mike

CFL - We are also on the January 25 sailing (Hi Chris and Mike!) and are looking forward to hearing anything and everything you would care to impart to those of us living 'vicariously' for now. :D We're in A302 all the way forward so we'll be v e r y interested to learn how seasick we're probably going to be with the motion of the ship :eek: . Weather reports appreciated. Have LOTS of fun and go easy on the staff for us, will ya? We don't want them worn out before we get a chance to run 'em ragged :D LOL. Just kidding, of course. Have fun!

Carol (and Linda).

Thanks for the "live from" thread. Enjoy! :)

CFL - We are also on the January 25 sailing (Hi Chris and Mike!) Carol (and Linda).

Hi :D .

Chris

We will be sailing on February 16th! We are in C747 (mini suite) and are curious to know whether or not feather pillows are standard in this cabin, or do we need to request them right away? I'm very picky about my pillows! :confused:

Have fun! I look forward to hearing every detail :D

Wow...tons of hungry Dawn followers,huh?:rolleyes:

First off...no motion to speak of,so no worries to speak of.I am told however,we may encounter waves up to 20' from Alaska:eek: on our way back so we may need to load up on the booze.

Foam toppers & pillows are supposed to be requested via fax by your TA however,neither were in the room when we arrived.We asked for and got the feather pillows which were great,down pillows are also available.The foam topper is merely a 1" foam pad put over the mattress.Worked for me,I slept like a dream.

We were concerned about being so far forward but no motion so far.Internet has been working very well the two times I have posted.No crowds either.Weather has been warming up nicely,still brisk out on deck but I swam this morning...got some rather odd looks though.;)

Formal nights are the 2nd night (tonight) and the 2nd to the last night...where I will attempt the new lobster-eating contest.Seems ccrain,who's cruising with us now,tells me my 18-tail record was broken so I have to try to set the bar higher.

I have never seen a mini on a Sun-class ship (the only one we experienced was on the Star) but I am told they are perhaps the best cabin Princess has to offer.A double cabin with a huge balcony,Tahoestarr.you will be spoiled!

Gotta go,more food to consume!:eek:

CFL

CFL, What did you think of check-in in San Francisco? Did you come on your own or were you brought to the pier by bus?

Heading out on the dawn on 2/05.

Who is the new cruise director?

AB

Finally got to personally meet the famous, or infamous, CFL (cruiserforlife) live and in person. Had our CC lunch today. Very good service, good attendence. Tomorrow is La Scala's for lunch where we will have to move CFL's cot that he has installed near the marinara drip feed.

Check in was incredibly smooth, 15 minutes from curb to cabin! Arrived at 11:15am, with driver hitting the front of the line by mistake, where we bailed out, into the pier area and onto the ship. WOW, this was good. Our luggage even arrived by 12:30.

Sailaway dinner was standard except the zander was now rockfish. First formal night (tonight) was Captain's welcome menu, pretty straightforward menu with no surprises. We're doing personal choice this cruise and so far so good. Have found a great little table for two with an exceptional wait staff.

we will probably try the steakhouse tomorrow night. Its the candlelight menu with not much memorable on it and we haven't tried a sun class steakhouse yet.

Captain is William Kent, new CD is Neil Chandler. His morning show is a hoot and he's a really nice guy. (Found out that Trevor has now retired, one of our favorite CDs.) We lined danced and then our first ever ball room dance class - the Merengue. Lots of fun.

weather is good, seas are calm, food is great, drinks are cold, company is enlightening and Judy and I are having a blast...

More later...

Thanks for the updates CFL and CCRAIN. It will be great reading your posts over the next 10 days. thanks for taking the time

Thanks for the updates ccrain...and for keeping us "live".You are obviously so much better at remembering names and info...stuff this old head just can't seem to process anymore.:confused:

The ship is fantastic and in perfect shape.Like ccrain,we too have requested PC dining and have found a nice quiet table that we will be reserving for the remainder of our trip.

A few observations I may pass along:

While checking in at the Port of SF was a quick (Princess really does have this down to a science),getting to the port is a nightmare so please allow extra time for that.

The dimensions of the room and the shower is MORE than enough for 2 people,I don't care what anyone else says.I'm 6 foot and 225 and I have no problems with the shower outside of the fact it wouldn't drain.A few calls to the room steward and it seems to be better.I'm not too fond of a shower that doesn't drain fast.We keep finding more and more room to put things so again...DON'T WORRY...you'll have enough room.;)

POWER STRIP

Can't stress enough how important this is.There is really only one single (not double like at home) outlet over the desk and the famously hidden one underneath the mirror just outside the bathroom.People generally find this one on Day 6 of a 7-Night cruise.The only other one has the TV plugged into it so we really don't count that one.Case in point:I brought along my CD player (more on that later) and because of all the huge plugs all these shavers/phone chargers,etc come with,my player wouldn't fit in the outlet because the frame of the mirror over the desk interfered with it.Power Strip to the rescue!Problem solved.;)

CD player & CD's

We bought a Sony CD clock radio and brought it along for this cruise.I cannot tell you how enjoyable it is to have my favorite smooth jazz and reggae on our balcony throughout the day.Simply a great idea,wish I would have thought of it sooner.

Coffee

Not a coffee drinker but wifey has commented how good her morning room service coffee is as well as in the dining room...and we would call ourselves "foodies" so we know of what we speak.Certainly no complaints there.

Sterlings

We were headed there tonight but since I don't really enjoy beef on cruiseships (I won't even try to explain...),I tried to see if they could substitute a cold-water lobster tail (the ones they offer for the balcony Dinner)for me instead.Even gave them over a days notice.They called me back and told us it couldn't be done so we canceled our reservation.No really biggie for me but I didn't understand why...with enough notice...this request could not be granted.My wife mentioned it was my birthday and that we were Elite members but that didn't help.Like I mentioned,It's no biggie and we'll certainly do without it but it would have been nice.Just thought I'd mention it for what it's worth.

$20 tip

Best tip for last.I generally hand my room steward a $20 bill shortly after meeting him/her.I can't tell you how far this goes to insure excellent service.I usually am a tip-for-service-received kinda guy but when it comes to cruising,this really is the only way to fly,so to speak.Our steward Nonie cannot do enough for us and has been excellent.

Money well spent,believe me.;)

Gotta go now,lots of food to eat and not enough time to do it...

CFL

Hey CFL - Came across your Live From the Dawn post. Your posts have been very informative with lots of good tips. We have been on 2 Princess cruises and never did know about the outlet under the mirror. Thanks! Reminds me of our cruise on the Sun and your famous Live from the Sun Thread that is still alive and well today.

Have a great cruise!

Mary

Thanks for the "live from" updates. We followed your "Live from the Sun" updates and make our cruise on the Sun ever more fun.

We will be on the Dawn March 21,2007. Can hardly wait.

THANKS AGAIN.....................

Bonnie & George

Headed for Mazatlan. Cloudy, warm and humid at about 16:48 local.

Day started windy, very, a little rocky and dark. We did have a picturesque moon rise over our balcony last night. Very romantic.

Up at 0600 for the morning workout, then Breakfast. The HC has really gone down in both selection and quality. A few items here and there can be tasty, but in general the number of items have decreased and the quality of those items are down into the standard buffet line quality. Not a big downer, I never have high expectations for the buffet. But they do have a make to order omelet bar which I have yet to try. The mexican fritates on day one, a bell pepper quiche was excellent.

Lots of pods of porpoises on the way south playing in our wake. Very large porpoises too. Could even be a small whale, but I'm not sure of the species.

Then it was line dancing and ballroom dancing where my two back feet were put to the test. Both dancing classes were well attended and lots of fun.

then a lecture on the big bang - a sort of yawn with a few tidbits here and there. (Since I have a degree in physics, I like a little more technical detail, but hey it was a great place to relax the ole eyelids.)

Then off to the CC lunch at La Scala's - HEY where did all these newbies find out about this place - this is OUR little secret!! (Cruisin Sal tells me that there are 90+ elites on this cruise - oh well, there goes our chance of getting invited to the most traveled party - unless I can smooze the cruise director.)Calzones GOOD. Judy's famous vegetarian pizza with double pepperoni, EXCELLENT. Beer, cruising gossip and conversation, good company = perfect lunch.

Then the infamous power nap with the balcony door open now. Sounds of the waves through the door just lull you to sleep. Now this is a vacation...

Time to get up and do the afternoon paddle tennis re-match, which I won 7 games to 5. We actually got to the court and no one was there so we had it to ourselves for a while. There are quite a few kids on this cruise.

To echo CFL, the ship is in great shape. Constant maintenance, they are doing something to the promenade deck, varnishing, cleaning...the only thing I miss is a covered swim against the current pool and the explorers lounge. They have moved a lot of activities into Jammers, but they allow smoking in Jammers and its a small place, so Judy simply can't take it very long. That's why we like the coral class so much.

Time for a shower and dinner at Sterlings. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary tonight, so we'll use our wine coupon from our TA for this dinner.

So far, so good...this cruise is GREAT!

Wow! We were in the same cabin back in September! Is Marciel your cabin steward?

...Time for a shower and dinner at Sterlings. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary tonight, so we'll use our wine coupon from our TA for this dinner.

 

So far, so good...this cruise is GREAT!

ccrain,

Thanks so much for your "live from' commentaries. DH and I are enjoying them. Won't be long to we're on the same ship, same itinerary.

Congratulations to you and Judy on your 25th! DH and I will do the vow renewal when we sail on the Dawn next month (1/25-2/5). We celebrated our 35th this past June.

Please keep up the daily reports. Many thanks! Bon Voyage!

Chris

I just found this site. What a lot of great cruise information. I am taking my adult family on our 1st Holiday Cruise together on the Dawn this year. We range in age from youngest son 21 & single, oldest son & girlfriend 31-34, my husband and I, 40's-50's and active 92 YO mother. I am hopeful that there will be a good mix of people so everyone will have a good time. I would appreciate any stories or recent experiences on Dawn or a Princess Holiday Cruise. Also tips on how the weather is this time of year and roughness of the seas. Thanks I look forward to hearing all your experiences. I can't wait! :)

Hi kids - thanks for all the first hand info. We'll be boarding on the 12th. Do you know if the CD and Capt will remain on for that cruise? And is the CD CC friendly? Have you asked for a CC party?

Have fun!

Cheers,

Dee

$20 tip

Best tip for last.I generally hand my room steward a $20 bill shortly after meeting him/her.I can't tell you how far this goes to insure excellent service.I usually am a tip-for-service-received kinda guy but when it comes to cruising,this really is the only way to fly,so to speak.Our steward Nonie cannot do enough for us and has been excellent.

Money well spent,believe me.;)

 

 

 

CFL

We do this all the time, and in the dining room as well (though not that much every night, LOL!). And we usually have excellent service as well.

About the request for the foam toppers - we requested via fax the same thing for a group of 14 (as well as robes in our cruise personalizers). None of us had the foam toppers or the robes when we got on the ship either. We found on the Crown we didn't need the toppers, the beds were so comfortable. Hope by the time we are on the Dawn in 2008, the great bedding on the Crown will also be on the Dawn.

Please let us know about the types of excursions available.

cruiserforlife, we will be in C336 on the December 23 Holiday Cruise. We appreciate all of the good information you've given so far as this is our first Princess Cruise. We've been #3 on the waitlist for a mini-suite since February, so it looks like we'll be spending our 11 days in C336. Glad to hear that the room steward is a good one and that the room isn't as small as I've heard from some reviews.

ccrain, how are the crowds in the gym at 6:00 a.m.? Are there enough available treadmills, eliptical machines, etc?

Sonogirl, come over and join us on the Dawn Princess Roll Call Board. It's a small group so far, but we are all on the Holiday Cruise.

Many thanks CFL and ccrain for allowing us to join you on your cruise.

We just LOVE the Sun class ships even if the balconies are just a tad bit narrow. We alway do Baja deck and the larger opening helps a bit. You are also so correct about the necessity of a power strip.

Continue to enjoy your cruise, I know I will. Barb

Another great morning cruising. Just can't beat going to sleep to the sounds of the ocean coming through the open balcony. They have installed the new sprinkler systems and fire detection systems on the Dawn's balcony so I feel comfortable in leaving the door open.

Full moon last night, glistening off the water, just doesn't get any better.

Did Sterlings last night. One of the best filet's I've ever had. Service could have been better, the place was real crowded and busy. Very noisy as well. I'm glad we tried it.

Some info update - the Captain (W. Kent) is apparently leaving soon. I will check and see how long Neal will be on board. He does a pretty good morning show and an afternoon evening show.

Romero, the magician/comedian, is pretty funny. Alexander, on the Island last June, was a very intense and serious illusionist with a little levity thrown in. I would recommend you see him if you get the chance. Carl Strong (comedian) was on as well night before last. Very funny guy and he can sing and dance as well. Highly recommeded.

Time for line dancing and ballroom dancing, more later...see ya.

 

Full moon last night, glistening off the water, just doesn't get any better.

You got that right Charles,musta been the reason why we fell asleep and missed dinner entirely!:eek: It was quite dreamy staring at the moon through the clouds...

debrajanders,

The room is quite nice and our room steward Nonie,is taking very nice care of us indeed.There is a slight problem with this cabin that I must share with you however.We were concerned about being so far forward and now I think I know the reasons for my concern.There is a whirling noise that occurs several times throughout the day,usually in the middle of the night between 2-4 AM.It sounds almost like when they deploy the tenders but obviously,it's not that.I have looked over the balcony during the day when this occurs and see nothing.It is loud enough to wake you from a dead sleep.Don't think there is anything Princess can do about it,just thought I'd mention it.

Oh well...sleep is way overrated anyway,isn't it?;)

A fantastic lunch with Charles,Judy and the rest of the bunch.I must say the pizza I enjoyed at La Scala yesterday was delicious...better than even I remember.Certainly a no-miss dining venue for sure.

The blueberry sorbet I had on Saturday night in the dining room was one of the most delicious things I have ever put into my mouth.DO NOT miss this item.

We sail into Mazatlan in a few hours but we may not even leave the ship...too much good food to consume...and so little time.;)

CFL

Thanks for the live updates you two! I'm looking forward to hearing about CFL's lobster eating record breaking attempt, and to hearing if CCrain and DW win a dance contest! It sounds like such fun.

We'll be on the Dawn, while you are on the Island...........we loved the Hawaiian Cruise......our favorite so far!

Have a grand cruise, and thanks again!

Hi cruisers,

I know at least one of you is doiing Anytime Dining...I'll be on the Dawn next month, and found out the reservation policy varies fro ship to ship. Anyone know if the Dawn lets you make a standing Anytime reservation for the duration of the cruise?

Thanks!