Dawn Princess? What are your feelings about this boat?

[pezgirl43]

Hi all, We are considering the Dawn princess for an Alaskan cruise next June. Any comments?

[llachance]

had a wonderful time sailing the Dawn. Things to remember - it is a smaller ship, there is no dome over the pool so although the water is warm it is hard to hang out by the pool. There are more sea days then port days and since it is a smaller ship you have to be prepared to entertain yourself! We had a balcony and I spent a fair amount of time reading on it. Also, depending on when you plan to sail there can be a fair number of children aboard and at the end of 10 days they are more then ready to get off the ship. That said Youth Security was wonderful, it was the parents that didn't know what do with their children :) I would sail the Dawn again if it was the right price and the right itinerary.

[mikjr]

Hi all, We are considering the Dawn princess for an Alaskan cruise next June. Any comments?

 

love the ship... although I miss an enclosed pool area, especially traveling to Alaska.

[chasetf]

Sailed her many times and would again in a heartbeat. I disagree that you "have to entertain yourself" as there are all the same types of "distractions" on her as the Grand class ships.

 

I do not go to Alaska to swim, so "no dome over the pool" is not a problem for us.... nor is the lack of MUTS.

 

We like that size ship (but enjoy the Grand class too). So I would not hesitate to recommend her in a minute. Have a great cruise. :D

[Tina G]

If you do not have a private balcony, the Dawn is the better ship for photography buffs! There is a large open deck forward, just off the Horizon Buffet. DH went outside and photographed glaciers to his heart's content, while I stayed warm with coffee in the buffet. The newer ships have a blue plexiglass windscreen in most of the open deck areas, and photographers HATE that! We just sailed her last December, and she was beautiful.

[Coral]

This is one of my favorite ships - I prefer this ship to the Grand or Golden.

[sept10dsm]

I loved the ship. We cruised the Dawn to Alaska a few years ago. I think my favorite cruise and ship!! We have sailed the Grand and will sail the Crown in 2 months and prefer the smaller well laid out Dawn. YOu will love the Dawn.

[cruiseryyc]

My favorite ship, much nicer than the Grand class.

[cruzinchris]

While DH and I haven't disliked any of our Princess cruises, I think the Dawn was our favorite ship to date. This vessel is classy, elegant, intimate, and easily navigated because of its nearly perfect size. I would love to sail on the Dawn again and hope that Princess would consider building more of this type of ship.

Chris

[crusdiva]

While DH and I haven't disliked any of our Princess cruises, I think the Dawn was our favorite ship to date. This vessel is classy, elegant, intimate, and easily navigated because of its nearly perfect in size. I would love to sail on the Dawn again and hope that Princess would consider building more of this type of ship.

Chris

 

I agree with Chris (again!).

 

Absolutely, my favorite ship for all the reasons stated above. Three cruises on her and would sail her anytime, anywhere.

[Druke I]

I like the Sun class much better than the larger Grand class.

 

If you can handle the expense, the minisuites on the Sun class are really nice.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I love this ship. It is small enough to learn it without being overwhelmed yet large enough to have a lot of things to do. I went on it last year and this year (by coincendence). I felt so comfy on this ship last year and this year it felt like home. It unloads quickly at ports even when you have to tender in (never had to wait for the next tender).

[mii]

The Sun class ships are great. Just the right size. Now with that said just look at the itiniery very closely. 99% of the cruise that leave from San Francisco and then sail to Victoria will go outside of Vancouver Island which is open sea. Ships that leave from Vancouver will sail between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. That is the start of the Inside passage. You will see some of it going through ketchikan, Juneau, etc. But alot of the beauty is also between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Just check the itiniery map in the princess web site and you will see that most of the cruise will go outside of the island. I do know that they have different itiniery during each summer so this is just a reminder.

 

Marilyn

[stephenandrew]

We sailed the Dawn in Alaska and enjoyed the ship very much. As an earlier poster pointed out, there is a nice, unobstructed observation deck at the front of the ship --was great for photos. I personally would have preferred to have an indoor/covered pool on the Dawn, and did miss that fetaure. Also, I believe all (maybe most) of the cabins with balconies on the Dawn are cut out from the hull of the ship--they don't hang off the hull like on the Grand. Nothing wrong with this, but I believe it doe reduce the size of your interior cabin space. In onter words, cabins without balconies (like a standard ocean view cabin) has more interior space than a comparable balcony cabin. Someone can correct me if I am mistaken about this. I liked the Dawn more than the Grand, but less than the Coral.

[jlp20]

Hi all, We are considering the Dawn princess for an Alaskan cruise next June. Any comments?

 

I’m not positive, but I believe the Dawn is the oldest ship in the Princess fleet.

 

The ship was redesigned to have balconies AFTER the hull was laid. The original plan was to have ocean view, or large oval windows, in all the outside cabins. The openings for the windows were left and a secondary exterior wall with sliding window were made making a huge balcony, a whole three feet deep. To make up for the six feet of space, three feet each side of the ship, cabins were reduced eighteen inches. In my opinion, the price they charge for the balcony does not equal the value you get.

 

The rest of the ship is done in the traditional Princess colors and brass. But because of small windows, even during the day the interior is dim and dull.

 

They have “made” a makeshift “Sterling Steakhouse” in the forward area of the Lido dinning area. They use well-worn room dividers to create the “space”.

 

I think that this ship is in need of a retrofit as far as lighting though out the ship as well as the use of the public areas.

 

Sorry, but unless the cost of the cruise was drastically lower on the Dawn, I would chose another ship doing the same itinerary.

[Bucky3]

We just returned from the Dawn July 20th sailing. We enjoyed this 10-day cruise. Our itinerary included Victoria, Juneau, Sitka, and ISP/Hoonah as well as an early (5AM) cruise through Tracy Arm. We were pleasantly surprised at the smooth sailing that was mostly open ocean during sea days. Inside Passage cruising was mostly during the dark. We had been to Alaska several times, so this was not a problem for us. We live in the Bay Area, so the RT SF cruise was what made this most attractive for our purposes. Some onboard were dissappointed that we did not see Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier or Skagway or Ketchikan. Decide on your priorities before booking. Also, the day we left SF it was a beautiful sunny day, but by the time we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, heavy fog had prevented much view. A few minutes later the fog cleared and you could see the bridge clearly from a distance. This is a typical San Francisco summer weather pattern. For us, the cruise was just fine. About two hours out of SF we observed several whales plainly seeen from our balcony. Balcony cabins on the upper decks have larger openings than the lowest balcony deck. Service was excellent, food was good, and we thought there were plenty of entertainment choices during the day and evening. We have no complaints, but any trip to Alaska needs homework BEFORE embarkation, so you will not be unhappy with your choice. We love it up there and any itinerary would suit us but this might not be true for everyone.

[cruiseryyc]

Actualy Jlp20 - now that the Regal is leaving, the Sun is the oldest ship in the fleet. I have spent a total of 45 days on the Dawn none of the issues you mentioned (smaller cabins, lighting) bothered me. To each his own I guess!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Haven't been on the Dawn but booked on the SUN this year and the Dawn for next year.

If you have good weather in Alaska as we did last september we sat in the aft hot tubs while we sailed past snow capped scenery and it was stunning. There is sure to be plenty to keep you busy if you need.

[DougH]

I'm also a big fan of the Dawn/Sun/Sea class of ships and have a total of 10 cruises and 77 days on them. I find them a nice size for me with most of the faclilites of the bigger ships in a smaller size. While several things would be great to have, such as a retractable roof, in general I'm very happy with their layout. And I love the pizzeria.

 

In May I did the Dawn to Alaska, and while nice you do miss out on a lot of stuff you would see on a cruise out of Vancouver,. Do your research to see what the alternatives are and what you want to see/visit.

 

Doug

[coolcat12]

I am in the minority but the Dawn just wasn't my favorite. I missed the enclosed pool for Alaska...alot. :rolleyes: I don't know if I can really put a finger on what it was about the Dawn but I just didn't care for it. The ship felt "dated" to me. Still had a great cruise but I think if prices and itineraries are equal I'd pick a different ship.

 

As the other posters noted the forward observation areas are great for viewing the Alaskan scenery. The Dawn also had a very nice Prom. deck. Pizza restaurant was very good.

 

I prefer the Sapphire/Diamond but many people really don't like those ships as they are bigger and more crowded.

 

Just my humble opinion...so go with the ship you feel suits your needs the best and have a wonderful cruise!

[Rick&Jenny]

We've sailed on her twice. We did Alaska last year out of Seattle on her. Until we were recently on the Emerald, the Dawn had been our favorite Princess ship. I don't think she is tired looking or in need of a refit at all. They keep her in excellent condition.

 

Her atrium is very striking and impressive. The Horizon Buffet, situated high & forward facing with rounded window viewing is a great place to stay (even when not eating) and watch the Alaskan wilderness slide by. The food, service throughout the ship, decor, & shows are all excellent.

 

I echo some of the previous posters comments about how great the Sun class ships are. The are more like an actual ship than a floating highrise hotel. It's hard not to have a great time while sailing on the Dawn. And yes, IMHO they definitely have the best pizzas in the fleet.

 

Rick&Jenny:) :)

[Waimea'sMom]

I went on the Dawn this past Spring to Mexico, and I'm going on her again in a couple of weeks. I'm very much in the minority on this though...she is actually one of my least favorite of the Princess ships I have been on. I would absolutely caution people regarding the balconies, as I was sorely disappointed in the hull cut style after the large open air ones on the Grand and Sapphire. I also thought the ship looked shabby in some areas, and overly worn.

 

That being said, there are some positives. I found the food better than that on the Grand or Sapphire, and I also really like the glass large windows on the Horizon Court area. Plus, the pizzeria was very nice and the pizza tasted great too.

 

But while others like the small ships, I actually felt it was much too small for the passengers on it. I arrived at shows and talks up to an hour before and still could never get a seat, having to stand up in the back of the lounge/showroom simply because it was too small. I think part of the problem stems from the fact that when this ship was built, anytime dining wasn't big or utilized like it is now. When you had set dining times, and set show times, half the ship would show up. Now with everyone scattered across many dining times, it seems like you have way more people available to go to the talks/demonstrations/shows/movies.

 

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. As I noted, I am clearly WAY in the minority on this. I think in the future I'll stick to the Sapphire/Diamond/CB newer ships but I can see what some people find alluring about a smaller ship like this one. I see one poster said they wouldn't go back on Dawn unless they got a really good bargain. I'm not that opposed to it, I just REALLY prefer the others, based on the balcony size and style if nothing else...

[kendon]

I'm in the minority also. We were on this ship about 4 years ago and felt that it was treated like the stepchild of the fleet. The food was just okay, service just okay, and entertainment less than just okay. Two nights out of the week nothing was scheduled in the Princess theater except for a movie. The piano in the atrium was never touched except occasionally a talented passenger would play a song or two. Several daily activities were canceled as no one was available to run them. Sounds like temporary crew and scheduling issues, but I hesitate to book on the Dawn again. We were very disappointed as I prefer the size of this ship over the megas.

[mithryl]

I'm in the minority also. We were on this ship about 4 years ago and felt that it was treated like the stepchild of the fleet. The food was just okay, service just okay, and entertainment less than just okay. Two nights out of the week nothing was scheduled in the Princess theater except for a movie. The piano in the atrium was never touched except occasionally a talented passenger would play a song or two. Several daily activities were canceled as no one was available to run them. Sounds like temporary crew and scheduling issues, but I hesitate to book on the Dawn again. We were very disappointed as I prefer the size of this ship over the megas.

 

This is my least favorite ship. I sailed her in 2006 on a 10 day Mexican Riveria from San Francisco. The ship was "well worn", I had the worst cabin steward I've ever experienced (I usually love them!) and food was less than average and the overall attitude of the crew was very low morale.

That may have changed if they've changed captains or other key management staff, but I would hesitate booking her again or recommending her to anyone.

I sailed the Island this year and she's a dream. We're looking forward to a great experience on the Diamond next year.

[Another Cruise]

We spent 10 days on the Dawn last Sept and we too were disappointed. I agree with an earlier post that there was just "something" missing. I also agree that showing a movie (and one that can be rented or seen at home on TV) as evening entertainment seems weak after other ship's entertainment. We also thought the rooms and balconies were smaller. We prefer the Coral size. This is the only Princess ship we have felt that way about.