Sun/Dawn???

[montyone]

Do these ships have a promenade deck that you can walk around the ship completely? Thank you!

[spongerob]

Yes, it goes all the way around. Well, mostly. It crosses the ship behind the room that contains the docking winches, so it doesn't go all the way around the bow like it does on the Grand-class ships.

[Coral]

You can walk in complete circles or should I say ovals.

[stag]

You can walk almost from bow to stern. 3 laps equal to 1 mile. Walk counter clockwise.

[coiran]

On the Grand Class you have to go up and down steps - on the Sun class you don't

 

Ron

[spongerob]

You can walk almost from bow to stern. 3 laps equal to 1 mile. Walk counter clockwise.

 

Unless you are south of the equator. Then you have to walk clockwise.

[heyjude27]

Sun class covered promenade deck stays open all day/night. Grand closes at night. Yes, unlike the Sun, the Grand deck goes all the way to the bow -- but with winds, it can be unbelievably windy at the bow and rather unpleasant to walk through.

[montyone]

Thanks everyone for your replies! We just got off the Diamond inside passage and are trying to decide whether to take the Sun/Dawn next year same itinerary. Do these ships have a naturalist onboard and PC dining? Thanks...

[stag]

We just got off Dawn last week. The naturalist, Sandy, is very knowledgable. She tried to stay on the top decks most of the the time and answer all questions. Whenever she spotted something at sea should would run back to the bridge and anouced through the P/A system to alert the viewers. She also held addition unpublished seminars in the public area (Atrium) in addition to the scheduled seminars (Princess Theater). PC dining is of course available in all Princess ships.

 

We might hesitate to go back to Dawn/Sun as they start to show signs of aging eventhough the ship is only 8/10 years old. The matress was uncomfortable, worn funiture and carpet, no water pressure, smelly in the hallways. They need major renovation. However, service was just as good as usual.

[sheruns]

Take care when scheduling your walk/run on the Promenade deck of the Sun. On port days, the deck is used for the gangway and you cannot do the full loop around. The staff does not know how to regulate the temperature in the gym, so the treadmill is a VERY unattractive option (It must have been 80 degrees up there, even in Alaska!) You are not supposed to run on the deck before 8AM because of noise issues with the cabins on Deck 6. However, the deck really fills up with walkers after 8, so it becomes challanging if you are a runner. Kind of like a race... weaving between the walkers 3 and 4 abreast, all carrying binoculars and cameras! A dedicated track might have been nicer, but I did see a whale, and I was able to get 7 miles in on one day.