Smaller ship vs large ship amenities: Attention Dawn Princess Experts

[Sailfish]

I'll be on the Dawn Princess in July and have only cruised the larger ships in Princess' fleet. I've been on ships the size of the Dawn many times, but I have a few questions specific to the Dawn Princess that I hope you can answer.

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

1. Does the Dawn Princess have any alternative restaurants like Sabatinis? If so, which one do you recommend?

 

2. Anytime Dining vs. Late Seating in the Formal Dining Room: I understand there is only one anytime dining room on the ship as opposed to three or four on larger ships. Can one eat at 7:30pm or is there a long wait to be seated? What do you recommend?

 

3. Lotus Spa: does it have a Sanctuary? How does the spa on the Dawn compare to those on larger ships?

 

4. Staterooms. I believe my husband booked an outside rooms - I am going to try and upgrade to a balcony. How do the cabins aboard the Dawn compare to those on the larger ships? Are they a lot smaller?

 

5. Do you have any other helpful suggestions or recommendations?

[cruzinchris]

 

1. Does the Dawn Princess have any alternative restaurants like Sabatinis? If so, which one do you recommend? Alternative restaurants include Sterling Steakhouse and LaScala Trattoria. DH and I enjoyed both venues.

 

2. Anytime Dining vs. Late Seating in the Formal Dining Room: I understand there is only one anytime dining room on the ship as opposed to three or four on larger ships. Can one eat at 7:30pm or is there a long wait to be seated? What do you recommend? DH and I always choose "anytime" dining. Although we usually prefer having dinner between 6:30-7:00, it was difficult to have dinner this early on the Dawn at a table for two. We were unable to get reservations before 8:00 but found a waitstaff that we enjoyed so we didn't mind eating later for most of the cruise. Reservations fill up very quickly - especially for early dining times (5:30-7:30).

3. Lotus Spa: does it have a Sanctuary? How does the spa on the Dawn compare to those on larger ships? There is no Sanctuary on the Dawn. I didn't use the spa but it looked similar to that on the other Princess ships.

 

4. Staterooms. I believe my husband booked an outside rooms - I am going to try and upgrade to a balcony. How do the cabins aboard the Dawn compare to those on the larger ships? Are they a lot smaller? We had a balcony on Caribe deck and found it slightly smaller than similar staterooms on "grand" class ships. There was plenty of storage space, and the shower was actually larger than those on "grand" vessels.

 

5. Do you have any other helpful suggestions or recommendations?

 

DH and I loved the Dawn and would sail on this ship again in a heartbeat. We found the ship to be very elegant and easily navigated. We didn't miss some of the amenities we've enjoyed on larger ships and truly enjoyed the special ambiance onboard the Dawn.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[Sailfish]

Thank you for answering my questions. We will be heading to Alaska on the Dawn this July - I have heard nothing but good things about the ship. I know it will be a little different; we are looking forward to the intimate atmosphere!

 

I am assuming both alternative restaurants have a cover charge - I think it was $15pp for Sterling's on the Diamond. What is the other restaurant like and how much extra is that?

[cruzinchris]

I am assuming both alternative restaurants have a cover charge - I think it was $15pp for Sterling's on the Diamond. What is the other restaurant like and how much extra is that?

 

No cover charge for LaScala. The menu features individual pizzas cooked to order (fabulous!), foccacia w/assorted toppings, a few pasta dishes, minestrone soup, Caesar salad, antipasto plate, tiramisu. The standard bar menu is available in this venue.

Chris

[Pam in CA]

One thing to be aware of on the Dawn/Sea/Sun Princess is that the balconies are "cut out" of the side of the ship rather than open with dividers. This allows a lot more privacy but the standard balconies are quite small with just enough room for two small chairs and a small table. If it were me, I'd book a standard outside and head on up to the aft Aloha deck which is open, public, half-covered/half-uncovered, and has plenty of loungers. Also, when considering cabin location, the buffet is at the FRONT of the ship, not the back like the Grand-class ships.

[Sailfish]

One thing to be aware of on the Dawn/Sea/Sun Princess is that the balconies are "cut out" of the side of the ship rather than open with dividers. This allows a lot more privacy but the standard balconies are quite small with just enough room for two small chairs and a small table. If it were me, I'd book a standard outside and head on up to the aft Aloha deck which is open, public, half-covered/half-uncovered, and has plenty of loungers. Also, when considering cabin location, the buffet is at the FRONT of the ship, not the back like the Grand-class ships.

 

This is good to know - thanks for posting!!

[Tina G]

I think the Dawn/Sun (they are twins) are the best ships to see Alaska! The Horizon Court is at the front of the ship, and you can step out to an unobstructed viewing deck to take your pictures of Glacier Bay. Meanwhile, if you get cold, the buffet is handy, and if you can snag a table you can just sit there to enjoy the view without getting chilly. I didn't like the Coral because photography was blocked on the top deck by large blue plexiglass windscreens. The Dawn also has a wraparound teak promenade deck for whale watching and photography! The larger ships don't have this.