need advice for short dawn princess cruise may 9th

[fibrofoggy]

:D hi everyone.

i am new to the forum. i haven't been on a cruise for 8 years now because i have developed severe fibromyalgia.... but thats another story.

since i haven't cruised for so long i was hoping to get some advice.

my husband and i will be going from san francisco to vancouver on the may 9th dawn princess 3 day cruise its our 12th wedding anniversary. we live in marin, half an hour north of s.f. we are going to come to sf by the larkspur ferry. we have 2 daughters 10 and 2.5 that will be staying with my mom and sister (bless them! i need the break)

 

1. how far is the ferry building to where we board the ship? i think its pier 35.

 

2. when is the best time to be there?

 

3. do laptops work on the cruise? anyone recommend bringing it?

 

4. since the cruise is only 3 days there's no time for trial and error. where is the best place to eat and what to avoid?

 

5. is it going to be warm or cold? what kind of clothes should we bring? its been in the high 70's here in marin in this last week.

 

6. what is the most interesting thing to do on the excursion to victoria?

 

7. any other advice about this cruise?

 

8. any recommendations on where to eat and what to do in downtown vancouver? (we'll only be there for 2 days before flying back to sf)

 

thanks so much!!!!;)

 

 

 

 

 

( i'm 37 and he's 46 and we have 2 daughters 10 and 2)

[spongerob]

Welcome to the boards!

 

I can only answer a few of your questions since we have not yet sailed from SF. That lapse will be rectified in a few months. :)

 

I've never had major complaints about Princess dining. You will probably find that the dining room is okay. I recommend checking out both breakfast and lunch in the dining room also. Some of Princess' best menus (IMO) are at lunch.

 

Your laptop will work, of course, unless you plan to use a wireless internet connection. Then you're toast, unless you purchase an access card from Princess and tie in from the atrium, if that's even possible on the ship you are on. The cabins do not have connections. There are computers on board that you can use to check e-mail for a fee. If that's all you want to do, leave the laptop at home.

[TJM001]

Butchart Gardens in Victoria is well worth the time if you are interested in that sort of thing.

 

http://www.butchartgardens.com/

[berylmorris]

Have lunch one day with a bottle of red wine at the pizza restaurant - it is sensational.

[sultan_sfo]

Below is an area map.

 

My guess is a 25 min leisurely walk with carry-ons and a 15min cab ride (because of traffic congestion at Pier 35). There is Muni F-line directly across from the Ferry Bldg which stops at Pier 35 and goes to Fisherman's wharf but sometimes it is crowded. On the Map, Ferry building is Pier 1 just outside the map. Need $1.50 exact change for each adult for F-line and 50 cents for under 17, under 5 is free -- and cab would be about $7.

 

http://www.sfvisitor.org/maps/html/Wharf.html

 

/Sultan

 

:D ...

1. how far is the ferry building to where we board the ship? i think its pier 35.

[pegpowell]

I believe the Dawn Princess will be at Pier 27 on May 9th. It is four piers down from Pier 35.

 

The weather is likely to be fairly cool as you travel up the west coast. We did this trip a few years ago on the Coral Princess. It was a lot of fun.

 

Enjoy, Peg

[pegpowell]

I believe the Dawn Princess will be at Pier 27 on May 9th. It is four piers down from Pier 35.

 

The weather is likely to be fairly cool as you travel up the west coast. We did this trip a few years ago on the Coral Princess. It was a lot of fun.

 

Enjoy, Peg

[pegpowell]

Sorry for the double post.

[pegpowell]

BTW-did you check out the Roll Call for this cruise? You are going to have lots of Cruise Critic company.

[fibrofoggy]

thank you all for the great advice!

i am glad i asked about the lap top. so you can't use it for wireless internet aboard the ship?

i guess thats why they can charge so much at the internet cafe.

i guess cell phones don't work either? sorry to sound ignorant but my last cruise was before we all had one!:cool:

[Druke I]

Butchart (sp) Gardens in Victoria has already been mentioned.

 

High Tea at the Empress Hotel is another good experience, and there is a very good Provincial Museum in Victoria.

[Brucemcdou]

i guess cell phones don't work either?

 

Hi, Fibrofoggy - we've done several of the short coastal cruises, and have two coming up in the next month! :D I don't believe that Princess has on-board cellular service, but our cell phones have worked in Victoria and Vancouver, and have also worked sporadically on the ship when you're on the side of the ship facing land - the ships travel close enough to shore that you can see the shore much of the way. You may need to go up to the top deck where you can see land. We have Verizon Nationschoice (or something like that...) plan. We have to remember to "unlock" the phone to get it to recognize the signal in Canada - it's somewhere in your settings. Depending on your plan you might pay extra for roaming, but it's nice to know you can still be reached, plus it still costs less than using the shipboard satellite phone.:eek:

 

As Peg said the weather can be pretty cool - remember you're sailing past northern California, Oregon and Washington so you've got their weather. Victoria can be very pretty and pleasant this time of year, and Vancouver should be lovely.

 

We enjoyed whale watching in Victoria - you can take a ship's excursion or arrange one yourself on the web. There's a pod of Orcas that stays in the San Juan strait year round and the whale-watching boats can usually find them. It's different than our whale watching experiences in Hawaii.

[Buddy604]

Hi there Fibroroggy, I'm going to be on this cruise as well and took the reverse cruise coming down from Vancouver on the Sun Princess last September.

 

If the weather cooperates, you'll find it cool in the shade but quite nice and warm in the direct sunlight. Layers are good, something with long sleeves over something with short sleeves. :D

 

The dining was fine, though I found the service to be much better in the traditional dining room as opposed to the anytime room. We showed up for our anytime seating in formal wear (the formal night had been cancelled) and the host took one look at us and shuffled us upstairs to the traditional room. It was our best dinner.

 

I recommend grabbing meals in the dining room if you can - the Horizon Court buffet food is certainly okay, but getting a table at peak times can be a challenge. If your fibromyalgia is anything like my sciatica, the last thing you want to do is be standing there in excruciating pain, holding a tray, with nowhere to sit down. At least if you're waiting for a table in the dining room, you can sit down in the atrium.

 

As for the laptop, I always take mine, but that's becuase I like to download my pictures daily and my camcorder is one of those digital ones that holds about an hour and a half before it needs to be cleared. There is Wifi access, I believe, but ornly in the atrium area. I haven't used it yet, though I might this trip, and I've heard you need to buy a prepaid card from the pursers desk. I may try sipping an espresso and updating my web photo galley to see if it all works.

 

Victoria is a lovely city, still trying, and mostly succeeding, in being a bit of old England in the new world. If money is no object, I would recommed doing the tea at the Empress Hotel. It isn't quite as nice as it was 20 years ago and it's much more expensive - about $50-60 per person - but it is an institution and really should be done at least once. I think one of the shore excursions offers tea and a tour for around $92 pp. Not really a bad deal considering the that tour is about CAD$30 and the Tea about CAD$50 by itself. With the current exchange rate, paying US$92 isn't a much of a gouge as one might normally expect. :p

 

The shorex also seems to include an opentop tour, though I though those were only available from July 1st. The shorex listing says May 1st though, so if the weather is sunny and you bring something warm, you could always take that one too. I find the open-tops great for photography and video.

 

As for Vancouver, since I live here, I know nothing. Where are you staying a what sort of things interest you?

[Buddy604]

Forgot to mention your cellphone should work every day except Wednesday, the sea day. On my way down last time, facing the shore, I sometimes got a flicker of a signal, but I couldn't see land and we were on the Aloha deck. You might get a signal on the sky deck, or is it the sun deck, the uppermost one anyway. Once you get close to Victoria, you're phone should work and keep working all the way through to Vancouver. The Gulf Islands are is fully covered by all major Canadian cell providers.

[donnaw]

Hi,

 

Believe it or not, our rollcall is quite small so posting here has the experience of prior cruisers.

 

1) San Francisco does say pier 27 and if they go in order then your trip from the ferry will be shorter and appears through less traffic.

 

2) They say after 1:30 but we will head straight from the hotel so hope to be on board at noon. We have sailed Dawn before and had no problems with quick embarkation.

 

3) Depends what you want to do with the laptop. We took it for the Alaska cruise and haven't since then. Fast enough to check email in port or even on the ship if necessary. I imagine one of the reasons is to check on your girls but it sounds like they will be in excellent hands. Some cell phones may work most of the times while others won't. Mine will generally allow me to call using roaming but takes messages for all incoming calls. Of course, every time I think I have it figured out, it changes again!

 

4) The food on Dawn is pretty much great all over. We will head to La Scala shortly after boarding since dh NEEDS his calzone! Great spot to people watch from since it overlooks the Grand Foyer. The buffet on Dawn is our all time favorite! Dining Room is also excellent. I love Sterlings on Dawn in the Caribbean when they can have it outside. Not sure whether they will have inside or outside on this one. Nothing to avoid on this ship!

 

5) I am bringing layers and only one pair of shorts. I am assuming that most of the time will be fine in slacks and a light wrap but will play it safe.

 

6) Bouchard is spectacular in August but not sure how it will be this early in the season. We have done Bouchard/whale watching before and they are both fantastic here. We will walk/take a shuttle into town this time and wander the streets stopping at a few of the local pubs. May take the little ferry over to a couple of other spots and just meander. Victoria itself is beautiful so whatever you feel up to.

 

7) Relax and enjoy! You deserve it!

 

8) Take the hop/on hop/off tour in Vancouver and you will get loads of ideas. The only absolute must do's are dessert at Death by Chocolate (will break the budget but none better so here is a link to more info:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/vancouver/D36227.html ) and the water taxi to Granville Island to wander the public market http://www.wcities.com/en/record/,80573/73/record.html .

 

See you onboard. We will be meeting at the pool bar on Lido deck directly outside Horizon Court for Sail Away.

 

The countdown continues!

[fibrofoggy]

thank you so much buddy604 and donnaw for all the fab info!

buddy604-- what is shorex you were mentioning?

also, i'm a little confused now about the laptop. my husband wants to bring it because he is leaving business behind for 5 days and needs to check his customers emails, and such.

are you saying if i get a prepaid card on the ship the internet will work? so our own card won't or it will just in some areas.

in vancouver we will be staying 2 nights at the trendwest resort 'the canadian' (its a timeshare on hornby st.)

does anyone know if there will be a formal night or not this time?

and is formal night only for traditional seating?

how can i change to traditional?

[Buddy604]

buddy604-- what is shorex you were mentioning?

 

also, i'm a little confused now about the laptop. my husband wants to bring it because he is leaving business behind for 5 days and needs to check his customers emails, and such.

are you saying if i get a prepaid card on the ship the internet will work? so our own card won't or it will just in some areas.

 

in vancouver we will be staying 2 nights at the trendwest resort 'the canadian' (its a timeshare on hornby st.)

does anyone know if there will be a formal night or not this time?

and is formal night only for traditional seating?

how can i change to traditional?

Ah, sorry for the confusion - shorex is just an abbreviation of shore excursion. The Victoria shore excusion for Princess can be found here: http://www.princess.com/shorex/shorexdisplay.jsp?resPortId=YYJ&resTradeId=A&tempresTradeId=A&tempresPortId=YYJ

 

You can book this onboard, in the shore excursion booth, down on the Plaza Level near the patisserie.

 

As for the prepaid card, another small confusion. From what I've heard, you can still use the wireless card in your computer in the atrium area, but you will need to buy a prepaid voucher from the prusers desk on the plaza level. They sell these vouchers, or cards, in 30 minute blocks I believe. Now, I can't say how well it works becuase I've only used the internet cafe on the Sun class ships, but it might be worth a try. If your Hubby can't connect using the wifi, he should be able to use the internet cafe. You just swipe your cruise card though the reader at the computer and away you go. Last time I was on, Princess charged $0.35 per minute which I thought was quite reasonable.

 

I know the Trenwest property well - several friends have time there, and you'll probably like it. The suites are small, but very well laid out and you're in a nice area, just across the street from the Sheraton Wall Centre. You're about three blocks south of Robson street, Vancouver's answet to Rodeo Drive. Just head a few blocks towards the mountains. When you hit robson, you can turn right, east, and walk a block to hit a large shopping centre, grounded on it's southern end by Sears. It's a very up-market Sears though since it is the formal Eaton's store and Sears was attempting to run it as a high end boutique property. They've brought it back into the fold, but some of the up market has yet to wear off. You can enter the Mall through Sears, at the basement level. Canadians tend to mole underground in our larger cities.

 

If you stay at surface level, one block further east puts you on Granville street which alters between scuzzie and gentrified, sometime within the same block. Heck, sometimes within the same square foot!

 

Now, if you go back in time to when you hit Robson Street and turn left, or west, you'll be entering three or four blocks of interesting shops, both the high end and the moderate. This is our Rodeo drive. You'll see quite a few signs in Japanese because we have a huge number of asian tourists that come to BC and they seem to spend most of their money and a two block radius around Robson and Thurlow.

 

For eating, there are too many option to shake a stick at. I love Shabu-Sen on Burrard between Robson and Alberni for their all-you-can eat sushi and korean tabletop grill. At the Corner of Thurlow and Alberni we have a nice Keg Steakhouse, Joe Fortes Seafood and Chophouse, and underground, Samba, a Brazillian rodizio. Further west on Robson, there is the Thai House, Cin Cin, Moxies and Earls on Top.

 

Oh, and back tracking even more, around the corner from your hotel is a place called Relish - I keep meaning to try it but the menu looks nice. There is a small market across the street, and of course, the whole Sheraton property.

 

Sorry, I didn't put everything in geographical order, but it's just some quick details before I head to bed. <Yawn>.

 

Mike

[fibrofoggy]

thanks so much buddy. i took notes from your post. great info.

have you tried the greek place? don't remember the name but heard its good.

also does anyone know what are the chances of getting seasick on this cruise? how choppy it is? i don't want to premedicate and be groggy if its not necessary! ( im foggy enough as is):rolleyes:

[fibrofoggy]

i just remembered a question thats more important than all the others i have asked!!!!!

are we supposed to fill out the empty blanks in our ticket booklet??:confused:

[Buddy604]

thanks so much buddy. i took notes from your post. great info.

have you tried the greek place? don't remember the name but heard its good.

 

also does anyone know what are the chances of getting seasick on this cruise? how choppy it is? i don't want to premedicate and be groggy if its not necessary! ( im foggy enough as is):rolleyes:

The Greek place you may be thinking of is Stephos and thats south of you on Davie street. And, yes, it is very good! Yum, now I want some for lunch.

 

As for the seasick, when I took the same route last September it was pretty smooth. I did notice quite a bit of roll during the night - I don't know if it's because they slow down or speed up, but it kept me rolling into the desk and then the bedside table for quite a while. My travelling chum found it quite restful - she said it was like being rocked to sleep.

 

I did use the gravol ginger, taking two every six hours or so, which kept me settled with no grogginess, and I'm a real seasick type. Some people recommend taking a Bonamine in the evening before bed, and then following up with some Gravol ginger during the day. Supposed to keep you stable without any daytime sleepiness.

 

Regarding your ticket, I did fill it out and they didn't bother to take it, but that could also be because I filled out all the information on the cruise personalizer online. It's probably best to fill it out just in case, and make sure you have either your passport or your government issued birth certificate and photo ID. A hospital issued birth recording or certificate are NOT valid for cruising and certainly not valid for entry to Canada.

 

Oh and just a note - I recieved an update from my travel agent today which confirmed the change to Pier 27 and listing the boarding time now as 1pm with a recommendation that passengers arrive after 2pm to ease congestion.