REVIEW - Dawn Princess, 10/4 W. Caribbean

[jayevee44]

The following is my review of this cruise. Because of its length, I had to break it into five separate posts on this thread.

 

 

REVIEW – Dawn Princess 10/4 W. Caribbean - Part 1

 

We returned home last night from our 10-day Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Dawn Princess. This was the first Caribbean cruise of the season for the Dawn and the first 10-day Western itinerary in a few years.

 

Because this was the first Caribbean cruise of the season for the Dawn Princess, I took a laptop with us to document our experiences each day for the benefit of those on later cruises.

 

BACKGROUND

 

My wife Sandy and I are Platinum Captain Circle members. This was our sixth and seventh cruises, respectively. Joining us on this cruise were our son Brian, our daughters Kelly and Kerry and Kerry’s friend Lance, all Gold Captain Circle members.

 

I wanted to be on a Sun Class ship on my birthday so I chose to treat Sandy and me to a mini-suite. My choices were the Sun Princess 15-day Panama Canal cruise or the Dawn Princess 10-day Western Caribbean cruise. Although the Panama Canal was higher on my list for future cruises, the cost of the additional 5 days with 6 people was more than I was willing to spend. We were in a Category AC mini-suite on Baja Deck and the kids were in adjacent Category K insides on Plaza Deck.

 

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Captain: Stefano Ravera

Cruise Director: Billy London

Formal Nights (2): First Sea, Grand Cayman

Soda Card: $25.00 with or without insulated Coca-Cola tumbler

Cell Phones (Verizon- America’s Choice Plan): St. Thomas - Full digital service; St. Maarten – Roaming analog service; Ocho Rios – No service; Cozumel – Roaming digital service

Movies shown onboard: The Manchurian Candidate, The Terminal, De-Lovely, Spider-Man 2, I Robot, The Clearing, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Stepford Wives, Shrek 2, Man on Fire, Calendar Girls and Welcome to Mooseport

 

QUICK SUMMARY

 

Day One (Monday) Summary – Sailaway from Port Everglades

 

Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature in the 80s,

Sea conditions: 2-4 swells

Drink of the Day: Rum Punch

Shows: Welcome Aboard Show featuring Comedian Rick Corso (2 shows)

Movies: Welcome to Mooseport, Stepford Wives

 

Day Two (Tuesday) Summary – First Sea Day

 

Weather: Windy with scattered showers, temperature in the 80s

Sea conditions: 2-4 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Strawberry Daiquiri

Shows: Rhythms of the City and Comedian Rick Corso (2 shows each)

Movie: Man on Fire

Other: First formal night

 

 

Day Three (Wednesday) – Second Sea Day

 

Weather: Windy with scattered showers, temperature in the 80s,

Sea conditions: 2-4 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Blackberry Delight

Shows: Rhythms of the City (final show), Comedy Juggler Jack Kalvan (two shows)

Movies: Calendar Girls, De-Lovely

 

 

Day Four (Thursday) – St. Thomas

 

Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature in the mid 80s

Sea conditions: In port

Drink of the Day: Rum Runner

Shows: Comedian Alan Bursky (2 shows)

Movie: The Terminal

Other: Island Night Deck Party

 

 

Day Five (Friday) – St. Maarten

 

Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature in the low 90s

Sea conditions: In Port

Drink of the Day: Chocolate Banana

Shows: Vocal Impressionist Tony Cherry (2 shows)

Movies: Welcome to Mooseport, Spiderman 2

Other: Stop at Grand Cayman cancelled

 

 

Day Six (Saturday) – Third Sea Day

 

Weather: Mostly cloudy in the morning, clearing by noon, temperature in the mid 80s

Sea conditions: 0-2 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Amaretto Blossom

Shows: C’est Magnifique, Comedy Magician Greg Moreland (2 shows each)

Movie: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Other: Set clocks back one hour

 

Day Seven (Sunday) – Ocho Rios

 

Weather: Scattered showers in the morning, mostly cloudy in Ocho Rios, temperature in the high 80s

Sea conditions: 0-2 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Ultimate Mai Tai

Shows: Vocalist Tony Cherry, Comedians Alan Bursky and Greg Moreland (2 shows each)

Movie: I Robot

 

 

Day Eight (Monday) – Fourth Sea Day (Originally scheduled for Grand Cayman)

 

Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature in the mid 80s

Sea conditions: 0-2 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Pina Colada

Shows: Curtain Up, Pianist David Williams (2 shows each)

Movie: The Clearing

Other: Second Formal Night, Two Captain’s Circle Receptions

 

 

 

Day Nine (Tuesday) – Cozumel

 

Weather: Cloudy, turning to rain, temperature in the high 80s

Sea conditions: In port

Drink of the Day: Margarita

Shows: Curtain Up, (1 show), Comedian Elliott Max (2 shows)

Movies: Shrek 2, The Manchurian Candidate

Other: Mexican Night Deck Party, Set clocks ahead one hour

 

 

 

Day Ten (Wednesday) – Fifth Sea Day

 

Weather: Scattered clouds, temperature in the low 80s

Sea conditions: 0-2 foot swells

Drink of the Day: Ocean Breeze

Shows: Farewell show, featuring Tony Cherry and Elliott Max (2 shows)

Movies: Shrek 2, Stepford Wives and Spiderman-2

[jayevee44]

REVIEW – Dawn Princess 10/4 W. Caribbean - Part 2

 

 

DETAILED REVIEW

 

Pre-cruise - Sunday

 

Our trip began early in the morning with a drive to Los Angeles International Airport. There, we boarded our non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale. Upon arrival, I placed a call to our hotel, Springhill Suites and their free shuttle was there in 15 minutes to pick us up.

 

I booked three rooms at this hotel through Priceline. I originally wanted a 3* in downtown, but the prices increased nearly 50 percent beginning October 1, so I settled for a 2* at the airport.

 

We checked in, made reservations for the free port shuttle and were in our rooms by 7:30. When I confirmed our reservations, I requested three non-smoking rooms with at least one room with two double beds. All three rooms had two double beds. We walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner, then retired for the evening.

 

Day One, Monday – Sailaway Day

 

The day started of with the free continental breakfast at the hotel. Before checking out, I made use of the free high-speed internet connection to check my e-mail and the internet for any late information about the cruise. I had made reservations for the free shuttle to Port Everglades and we were to be in the lobby by 10:30 for the 11:00 shuttle. At 10:45, a 14-passenger van with a separate trailer for luggage arrived. We left the hotel at exactly 11:00 at promised.

 

We arrived at the port at 11:20. There were porters at the curb who loaded our luggage directly into the luggage bins for transport to the ship. The check-in line did a double loop in front of the building, then extended around the corner and along the side. I had visions of standing for a long time, but the line was constantly moving and we were inside the building in less than 20 minutes.

 

Once inside, check-in went very quickly. Check-in was by deck and most decks had two lines, Platinum and Others. Once we were in our lines, it took less than ten minutes. Next, we went through the security lines. These went too quickly. They had to stop occasionally because the line to board the ship was moving slowly and there was no place to go after passing through security. Even so, we were on board and in our rooms by 12:15.

 

Even thought the Princess Patter announced that one dining room would be open for lunch, it was not and there was staff there to direct people to Horizon Court or other locations serving lunch. We went to HC, but there were long lines from both sides out to the elevator lobby, so we went outside and had lunch at the Balcony Grill.

 

The weather was warm and humid, so we changed into more appropriate clothes, then went back to the Grill at 3:00 to meet our CruiseCritic group. Rather than meet directly in front of the grill, we met to the left of the grill. This was better because it was not in the direct sun, it was not were the lines were for the grill and best of all, we received the cool air from inside whenever someone opened the doors to enter Horizon Court. Fourteen CC members met for about an hour and had a good time meeting those with whom we had been corresponding with for many months.

 

We went back to our cabin to check out the features of the mini-suite. We like the layout of the cabin. The seating area is separated from the sleeping area by a curtain which enabled me to work at the desk without disturbing Sandy while she slept. The expanded bath, shower and tub area is a welcome improvement over the bath facilities from previous cruises. Both TVs had RCA jack inputs for connecting a digital camera or video camera, but the access door on one was blocked by the bar that keeps the TV from sliding off the shelf.

 

There are two areas on concern. First, I must agree with previous posters that there is a definite lack of storage space. We had to leave much of our clothes in our suitcases. Luckily, they fit under the bed. If you have luggage that does not fit under the bed, you’ll have a definite storage problem.

 

Second, there is a definite shortage of electrical outlets. There are only two single conventional outlets, one under the desk in the seating area and one at the vanity in the sleeping area. They are three prong grounded outlets and I strongly recommend the famous power strip with three-prong plug and outlets. There are other outlets in the room for lamps, etc, but they are the European style. I looked for the famous “hidden” plug behind the TV, but the TV is so big and heavy that you risk dropping the set just to find it. Just take a power strip and live with it. In the bath area, there is one outlet for razors only and it is the European type that will not accept the standard American two prong plug. I knew from previous experience to take an adapter, so I was able to plug in a night light.

 

We had Any Time Dining, so we decided to have dinner at 8:00. Many passengers, including our entire party, received only part of their luggage prior to dinner, so we went in the casual clothes we wore to the ship. We were seated immediately and we finished by 9:30. We returned to our cabin and our luggage had arrived. From there, I went up to the internet café to check my e-mail. The cost is 50 cents per minute, even if no connection is made due to a poor satellite connection. After failing to connect in 5 minutes, I gave up even though I am Platinum and it cost me nothing.

 

I went to the 10:30 Welcome Aboard show. The opening number is the standard opening number that I’ve seen a few times before. Billy London, cruise director, introduced the cruises staff, told a few jokes, then introduced Rick Corso, comedian, who gave a short performance. The entire show lasted 50 minutes.

 

I made a quick stop at Horizon Court for some fruit. It was a little after midnight when I finished my snack and I went back to the internet café to try again. I gave up again after failing to connect in six minutes and went back to our cabin and retired for the night.

 

 

Day Two, Tuesday – First Sea Day

 

This was the day we were originally scheduled to be at Princess Cays, but that stop was removed from the itinerary several months ago, so it was just a sea day. It began with my usual trip to the gym for a workout on the treadmill. Sign up sheets are posted and reservations are required beginning at 7:00, but I went earlier. I then did a one-mile walk around the Promenade Deck. After showering, we went to the Horizon Court for breakfast. They had made to order omelets, something we had not seen on our previous cruises.

 

We spent the day picking up our boarding picture, attending the St. Thomas/St. Maarten shopping seminar, eating lunch in the dining room, then just watching TV prior to getting ready for formal night.

 

There were two Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Parties, one before each traditional dining sitting. Because we were not hungry, we waited until 7:00 for dinner. On the way to dinner, we stopped and had of formal nights portraits taken. We then proceeded to dinner and having Any Time Dining, we were seated immediately, even without reservations. We missed both Captain’s cocktail parties.

 

After dinner, our waiter came by, encouraging us to sign up for a $25 wine seminar and tasting scheduled for a sea day later in the cruise. We respectfully declined. He then returned offering the Princess cookbook for $28 which on our last cruise was $35 in the gift shop. That we bought, since Sandy regretted not buying it last year.

 

We attended the late show of comedian Rick Corso. He performed at the Welcome Aboard Show and I wasn’t too impressed, but this show was quite good. I’m glad we decided to go.

 

 

Day Three, Wednesday – Second Sea Day

 

Everyone in our group is getting antsy, looking forward to getting off the ship. This day turned out to be a do-nothing day. We didn’t attend any onboard events. We picked up our portraits from the night before and spent some time at the pool.

 

We had lunch at the pizzeria. On the Sun Class ships, the pizzeria is inside with full service. You order your small individual pizza from a menu. We like that much better than the Grand Class ships where walk up and get your pizza by the slice on deck.

 

We went to dinner a bit late and would up at the same table with the same waiters. We got to know them better and discovered that they had been on our Alaska cruise for last summer and were good friends with our waiters on that cruise. We got to talking and sharing stories, so we missed the second show of the comedy juggler, Jack Kalvan, so I can’t comment on his show. We finished the evening by playing shuffleboard with the kids.

 

The performance of Rhythms in the City was the final performance of this show. It has been retired. Starting on the October 14 cruise, there will be a new show in its place.

[jayevee44]

REVIEW – Dawn Princess 10/4 W. Caribbean - Part 3

 

 

Day Four, Thursday – St. Thomas

 

We docked just before 7:00 am and passengers were allowed to disembark a little while later. The weather was partly cloudy and warm. In port with us was the Explorer of the Seas.

 

I had booked a daysail with Fantasy for the day. We were to meet the captain at Red Hook Harbor at 9:30. We left the ship at 8:30 and found a taxi dispatcher who got us a cab to Red Hook. The cost was $8 per person, each way.

 

The first thing I noticed is that they drive on the left side of the road which was not so much of a surprise as I had read where that happens at some locations in the Caribbean. What did surprise me is that the vehicles have our standard left side drive, so the drivers are on the curb side of the vehicle, not the roadway centerline side. I found this very confusing at intersections. I’m sure glad that I wasn’t driving in this situation.

 

We arrived at the harbor at 9:00, so we had a little time to wait. At exactly 9:30, Captain Brian met us and took us to the dock to board a rubber dingy to take us to the Fantasy anchored out in the harbor.

 

The first order of the day was to apply plenty of sunscreen. Once we were settled in, we were under way and spent the first two and a half hours sailing toward St. John going the round about route where Pam pointed out the various islands and points of interest. We took advantage of the open bar and just laid on the open deck, soaking in the rays. At times, the winds were so gentle that we were under power until the winds pick up enough to move under sail. Captain Pam took plenty of pictures of us using our cameras.

 

As we approached St. John, we saw that we had our choice of beaches, as there were no other boats there. We anchored a few hundred yards off shore and were given instructions on how to put on the snorkel gear, then were we should go to see the best fish. Once in the water, Pam took a group picture and, except for Sandy, we were off to the rocky point. Sandy elected to stay aboard while we snorkeled.

 

Pam gave us bread to feed the fish. Once we started putting out the bread, fish seemed to come from everywhere. A genuine Kodak moment if you have an underwater camera.

 

We went around a rocky point to a beautiful white sand beach. I forget the name of the beach, but it is used by a resort hotel on the island. Off shore, we saw stingrays. Pam told us that there are sea turtles there also, but we didn’t see any. There were a few hotel guests on the beach, but otherwise, we had it to ourselves. As we approached the beach, Captain Bryan brought Sandy ashore in the dingy.

 

After about 30 minutes on the beach, Pam came ashore to pick up Sandy, while the rest of us swam back to the boat. While we were off the boat, Brian was preparing lunch for us. Once aboard, we applied more sunscreen, then had lunch which consisted of chicken curry over rice, salad, rolls and butter and champagne, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

 

After lunch, we sailed back to Red Hook, arriving at 3:15. The skies were only partly cloudy around St. John, but were very dark over St. Thomas. Our cab driver from the morning was waiting for us and we headed back to port. As we approached the port, we hit a brief, light shower. We were back aboard the Dawn Princess by 4:00.

 

We really enjoyed our day on the Fantasy and it was everything that I thought it would be, but one word of caution. We learned the hard way that the sun is more intense in the Caribbean than in Southern California. Both Sandy and I were sun burned, despite double applications of No. 45 sunscreen.

 

We had dinner at the Sterling Steakhouse. The food and service there were definitely worth the $15 per person cover charge. Because of the time of our reservations, we missed the first show of comedian Alan Bursky, so I had planned to see his second show. However, the kids insisted that we go to the Jammers Night Club instead. My younger daughter has a video production company and she produced a 25-minute video history of our family for my birthday. When we arrived, it was shown on the Club’s video system. What a wonderful present. Needless to say, we didn’t see Alan Bursky’ show.

 

Later, we proceeded up to Deck 12 for the Island Night Deck Party. The party was in full swing when we arrived, but the tropical buffet was not out yet. Because we were tired from such a long, eventful day and we were still full from dinner, we only stayed a short time to hear some music, then retired for the evening.

 

 

Day Five, Friday – St. Maarten

 

We had no pre-arranged activities planned for this port and because of all of the activities of the previous day, I skipped my usual early morning workout and slept in. I even skipped breakfast, but the others ate in the Horizon Court. We finally left the ship around 11:00. It was partly cloudy and the temperature was in the low 90s. In port with us were the Adventures of the Seas and the Golden Princess.

 

We wondered up to the taxi dispatch location. The kids boarded a taxi that took them to Little Bay for $4 per person each way. There, they spent a few hours, including an hour of jet skiing, before returning to the ship.

 

Sandy and I took the two and a half hour Island Tour. The cost depends on the number of passengers. Our taxi was a twelve passenger Toyota van and there were six passengers, so the cost was $20 per person. The first scheduled stop was about half way between Philipsburg and Marigot for a photo opportunity, but there were so many buses and vans that there was no room for us, so we did not stop. From what I could see from the road, the port and the ships are not visible from this stop. There were many sites that I tried to photograph before reaching this scheduled stop, including the port and ship, but the pictures did not turn out well, shooting through the closed window of a moving vehicle.

 

Our next scheduled stop was Marigot in the French side of the island. Since we skipped the first stop, the driver gave up extra time there. In addition to the scheduled stop in the downtown area, he also stopped at the waterfront. Each stop was 30-35 minutes. We ate lunch and did some shopping downtown, but there were more places to eat and we liked the shopping better at the waterfront.

 

Next, we continued around the island to Orient Beach. We stopped there for about 15 minutes, right at the boundary between the clothing optional and clothing required sections. On the way back to the main highway, we passed the Butterfly Farm, but did not stop. The skies were mostly cloudy and we ran into some light rain. We arrived back in port about an hour before departure.

 

We were scheduled to depart at 3:30, but just prior, they began paging passengers who had not returned to ship. At 3:30, the list was down to four names and the gangway was still in place. At about 3:40, we departed and backed out of the harbor, turned to the west and stopped. At 4:00, the Captain announced that the four passengers had missed the ship, but they had contacted the ships agent and made arrangements to be brought to the ship in the pilot’s boat. The Captain was gracious enough wait for them. They boarded at 4:10 and we were on our way.

 

We had dinner reservations for 6:00 and we left our cabin at 5:55. On the way down to Deck 5, the Captain announced that the stop at Grand Cayman was cancelled due to hurricane damage and that the ship would be arriving an hour earlier than scheduled in Cozumel. We had to pass the purser’s desk to get to the dining room and already people were at the desk complaining and asking for refunds. I wrote a short note to the Captain requesting that our stay in Ocho Rios be extended. He seemed to be such a nice guy, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

 

After dinner, we went to the Vista Lounge and saw Spider-Man 2, then retired for the evening.

 

 

Day Six, Saturday – Third Sea Day

 

The day started out mostly cloudy to overcast, but cleared by noon. The temperature was in the mid 80s and it seemed less humid.

 

This was a very lazy day for us. We had breakfast in the dining room, then did nothing the rest of the morning. At noon, the Captain announced that our stay in Ocho Rios would be extended two hours, which pleased me very much. At noon, Sandy and I ate at the grill, then she and the kids took in the Harry Potter movie. I spent the afternoon on deck and in our cabin.

 

Following dinner, we took in the late show of comedy magician Greg Moreland. I was more impressed with his comedy than his magic.

 

Before retiring, we set our clocks back one hour

[jayevee44]

REVIEW – Dawn Princess 10/4 W. Caribbean - Part 4

 

 

Day Seven, Sunday – Ocho Rios

 

The day started out with scattered clouds and a few light showers. There was a rainbow several yards off our balcony. We were the only ship in port.

 

At 9:00, Captain Ravera conducted an interdenominational church service which lasted approximately 30 minutes. The service was well attended, nearing filling the Vista Lounge. After the service, the Captain greeted everyone as they left. The proceeds from the offering were to be donated to Marine Charities in Fort Lauderdale.

 

We docked a few minutes after noon and were able to disembark around 12:40. I had made reservations with Ionie McBeam to provide us a tour of the island.

 

We arrived at our first stop, Dunn’s River Falls, at 1:00. Admission price is $10, but Ionie pre-purchased the tickets for us, so we didn’t have to get in line. We were to meet her back at the parking area between 2:30 and 3:00.

 

We walked down to the area where we were met by our guides. I would estimate that there were about 20-30 people in our group. It was overcast, plus the Falls are covered by trees, so we didn’t have to worry about direct sunlight and possible sunburn. The guides led us down to the beach to begin the climb up. One of the guides collected all non-waterproof cameras and put them into a plastic bag that he would carry up.

 

The elevation change was from the beach to the top is approximately 1,000 feet. The water was roaring down and a couple of other guided groups were already inching their way up the rocks. The guides go first and we all hold hands going up, being helped by the person ahead and helping the person behind.

 

If we would have been the only people climbing, I would have doubted that we could make this climb, but seeing so many people of all ages and sizes already doing it gave me confidence that I could do it. I had fears that Sandy would elect not to proceed, but she said nothing, so off we went with me in the lead and the kids behind Sandy.

 

The first part is the most difficult. Once we got the hang of it, we were at the top of the first part. It is important to watch the feet of the person ahead of you and step where he/she stepped as you usually cannot see the “steps” under the rushing water.

 

At certain photo opportunity locations, the guide took the cameras out of the bag and took the pictures. If you have a waterproof camera, you carry it and take your own pictures or you can give it to the guide to take pictures of you.

 

Starting about half way up, there are stairs leading out of the river for those who do not want to continue, but we went all the way up. It was a thrilling adventure for us and we were glad we did it.

 

The guides work only for tips and definitely earn them. Not only do they lead the group, but they also maintain the falls, scrubbing the rocks to remove the slippery algae. It is important that you stay with the group because if you try going on your own, you will likely be on rocks that have not been scrubbed and they are very slippery.

 

After existing the Falls, we proceeded back to the parking lot to meet Ionie. The exit path passes several souvenir stands where they will try to sell you something. Ionie was waiting for us. We boarded her van and were on our way to the next adventure, tubing down the White River.

 

There are two locations for this activity. The location that the ships use is an hour’s drive from Ocho Rios and, I assume, professionally run. The location that the local tour operators use is just a few minutes drive from Ocho Rios, located in a poor area and run by a few locals. In between these locations is a dam.

 

On this day, the operators of the dam closed the gates which caused the river downstream to be too low for tubing, so we left to explore other areas of the island. The tubing operators said that the gates would be opened later in the afternoon and that we could come back.

 

We next took a drive through Fern Gully. This was a very scenic drive through a steep walled canyon, lined with trees and ferns. It was there that we saw the first evidence of the effects of Hurricane Ivan. There were many trees that had blow down. Those that had fallen across the road were cut at the shoulder of the road.

 

While passing through Fern Gully, Ionie received a call that the river had risen and that tubing was available, but we elected not to return. In talking to another Cruisecritic member, he and his party got to the river before the level dropped and were able to complete the tubing. They had a good time and highly recommended it.

 

After returning to town, Ionie drove us to an affluent area where the doctors lawyers and politicians live. From there, we got a good overview of the city and our ship docked in the harbor. From there, we returned to the ship. The skies were black and there were a few loud claps of thunder, but it did not rain. The cost of her tour was $30 per person, including admission to the Falls, plus tip. I returned to the ship while Sandy and the kids walked back to Margaritaville, located at the entrance to the port, for some shopping and a good time.

 

We went to dinner and, as before, we enjoyed our wait staff so much that we lost track of time and missed the shows. I’ve come to learn from this cruise that there are more fun things to do than attend every show.

 

 

 

Day Eight, Monday – Fourth Sea Day

 

This was the day that we were scheduled to be at Grand Cayman, but turned out to be another sea day. It was mostly cloudy, with the temperature in the 80s.

 

At dinner the night before, we mentioned to our waiter that we had been looking for a specific item on the breakfast menu, but had not seen it anytime during the cruise. The summoned the head waiter who took our special order for breakfast. When we went to breakfast, we gave the waiter our cabin number and the item was prepared for us, even though it was not on the menu.

 

At 2:00, our family took a tour of the bridge. While in Ocho Rios, I received an unsolicited invitation from the Captain to visit the bridge. He was not there, but the officer in charge gave us a quick explanation of the controls, then allowed us to walk around and ask any questions of the crew. We were allowed to take photos, but not video and it could interfere with electronics. The tour lasted about 30 minutes.

 

This was the second formal night. We all attended the second Captain’s Circle reception from 7:15 to 8:00. The first reception was from 5:15 to 6:00. After the reception, we had dinner and had such a good time that we skipped the shows.

 

 

Day Nine, Tuesday – Cozumel

 

The day started out sunny, but soon turned cloudy. The temperature was in the high 80s. In port with us were the Carnival Holiday and the Celebrity Galaxy.

 

This was the only port where we booked a Princess tour, Tour M-M, Muyil Ruins and Sian Kaan Jungle Explorer. There were only 9 people on this tour. A bag of snacks was provided.

 

We boarded the ferry at the dock for the cruise over to the mainland, then boarded a van for the trip to the ruins. Along the way, we made a stop where we could purchase some locally made stone carvings and other items. We arrived at the ruins approximately two and a half hours after we left the pier.

 

We had an excellent guide who spent the entire ride explaining the history and customs of the Mayan culture.

 

Admission was included in the tour price. The cost to use a video camera was $3, not $10 as advertised in the “Adventures Ashore book, but they were out of sticker/receipts at the gate, so we didn’t have to pay anything to use our video cameras.

 

We walked through the dense forest where, suddenly, there would be a clearing with the remains of a Mayan structure. We encountered a brief shower, but because of the dense vegetation, we didn’t get wet. After several structures, we entered the jungle for a walk to the beach of a lagoon where the van was waiting for us with cold, liquid refreshments. After a short rest, we boarded the van and headed back to the port to board the ferry back to Cozumel. Once back in Cozumel, it was quite obvious that it had rained quite heavily there.

 

Our kids booked separate tours through the ship. First, they went scuba diving, Tour W, then to the Playa Mia Beach Break, Tour G. They had a great time.

 

Because we had missed so many shows on this cruise, Sandy and I took in the early show of comedian Elliott Max. We had seen him on two previous cruises and we wanted to see him again. We was just a funny as we had remembered him and he had to audience laughing for the entire show. We ate a late dinner after the show.

 

About 11:00, I stopped by to observe the Mexican Deck Party. It was not as well attended as the Caribbean Deck Party earlier in the cruise.

[jayevee44]

REVIEW – Dawn Princess 10/4 W. Caribbean - Part 5

 

 

Day Ten, Wednesday – Fifth Sea Day

 

The weather was very nice, scattered clouds with temperatures in the low 80s. The weather was noticeably cooler and less humid.

 

The day was spent in preparation for dis-embarkation the following day. We booked a tour in Fort Lauderdale as our flight did not leave until 4:50. We booked tour C. We wanted Tour A, but it was not available because the boats that sail the inland waterway portion of the tour are not sailing until November.

 

At 10:00, there was a culinary demonstration. One of the highlights was the preparation of the apple strudel that would be served for dessert at dinner.

 

Our Cruisecritic group had a farewell meeting at 3:00, again adjacent to the Balcony Grill. We met Theo, Delores and Isobell who were unable to join us on embarkation day. We were unable to find a table in the shade, so after about 30 minutes, we adjourned to Horizon Court for free ice cream which was served daily between 3:30 and 4:30.

 

At about 5:00, there was a fly-by of one or two military jets flying low off the port side. I was visiting the kids in their inside cabin, so I didn’t know anything about it until the captain cane on and explained that the aircraft were sent out to identify our ship.

 

We again had dinner in the dining room. For most of the cruise, some of our family chose the always available New York cheesecake because nothing on the dessert menu for that night was appealing to them. For the farewell dinner, every dessert on the menu was one that we wanted to try. Not only was there apple strudel, but baked Alaska and Love Boat Dream. Everyone ordered two desserts.

 

The rest of the evening was spent packing, getting ready to leave the ship in the morning. We put out our checked luggage at 10:00 and it was soon picked up.

 

 

Post Cruise, Thursday

 

When we arrived back in Port Everglades, it was still dark.

 

He went down to the dining room for our last meal. The featured entrée was crispy French toast which was what we had been looking for during the entire cruise and which we special ordered earlier in the cruise.

 

We returned to our cabin, collected our things and went down to the kids rooms on Plaza Deck to await the calling of our color to dis-embark. Dis-embarkation didn’t begin until 8:40, but once it started, it went very quickly. Because we had a tour booked through the ship, we were one of the early groups to leave the ship.

 

The process of going through immigration and collecting our luggage went very fast. We were on our tour bus by 9:20. Our tour consisted of a tour of Flamingo Gardens, then on to the airboat ride in the Everglades. For us, we spent too much time at the Gardens and not enough time at the Everglades.

 

Next, we went to the airport. We arrived about three hours before departure time, cleared security and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We departed on time.

 

We arrived back in Los Angeles on time, boarded the shuttle and were home by 9:00.

 

 

OBVERSATIONS

 

At this point, I thought I would provide some personal observations that might be of interest.

 

The Captain

 

For the first time, I realize why people want to know who the Captain is. Captain Ravera was very outgoing and visible around the ship. He invited all passengers to stop him and say hello and have a picture taken with him. He conducted the Sunday church service and he was gracious enough to wait for four passengers who missed the ship in St. Maarten. He will become the Captain of the Golden Princess in February and later, the Captain of the Sea Princess. In my view, he certainly added to the enjoyment of this cruise.

 

The Ship

 

The Dawn Princess and is great shape. If there really is an engine problem, you sure couldn’t tell it by the way the ship sailed.

 

The color of the carpeting is the same on both sides of the ship. On some Princess ships, you can tell the port side from the starboard side by the color of the carpeting.

 

The smell still exists in the Vista Lounge, but after a few minutes, we didn’t notice it.

 

Many of the TV channels, including CNN, ESPN and TNT use either the Spanish or international feeds.

 

Unlike some other cruise lines in the Caribbean, Princess sets the ships clocks to match local time.

 

 

FINAL COMMENTS

 

I have to say that out of all of my seven cruises, this was the best cruise ever - beautiful ship, excellent service, gorgeous weather, calm seas and, for the first time, sailing with my entire family. It doesn’t get any better than this.

 

Part of what made this cruise so enjoyable was meeting fellow Cruise Critic members on the first day, then running into them again and again throughout the cruise. We had some very pleasant visits and it was interesting to hear their past cruising experiences.

 

My point is this. If someone on your cruise posts a suggestion to meet follow CC members for a drink early in the cruise, tell them that you’ll be there, then go. Not everyone will show up, but for those that do, it adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. So to CB and Hope; Donna and Bruce; Paul and Greg; Alan; Lesley; John; Roger and Cathy; Alexis and Richard; Theo and Delores; and Isobel, thank you for adding to our enjoyment of this eventful cruise. My apologies if I missed anyone. And special thanks go to Lesley for starting our roll call and to CB and Hope for coordinating the biographies and arranging the farewell meeting on day ten.

 

Sandy and I sincerely hope that our paths will cross again on a future cruise.

 

Jim

[Desertbelle]

Great review Jim, thanks!!

[melissa_bel]

Jim,

What a great review! After reading that, I am even more excited about my cruise on the Dawn!

Any pictures coming?

[regnig]

jayevee44 - what a great and well written review. Many thanks! We did the 10 day on the Sun so it really brought back memories.

 

Must agree with your comment "I’ve come to learn from this cruise that there are more fun things to do than attend every show." Life just too short to be driven by scheduled shows.

[jackiemeikle]

Jim

 

You Certainly Have Put My Mind At Rest, Wonderful Review, I Am So Looking Forward To Our Cruise On 23.11.04

 

Jackie From Scotland

[tsj]

Thank you for your review, I truly enjoyed it, I am even excited than ever about this cruise. Thanks again. tsj

 

BTW We climbed Dunns River Falls in 2002 with our then 10 & 8 y.o. daughters, you are right it was incredible, my girls were thrilled. They still can't believe we did it, or more to the point they can't believe their overprotective Mom would let them. Ionie was our driver that day as well, did she take you to see the men wearing costumes made out of leaves and flowers in Fern Gully?

[Sunwind]

Great review Jim,

 

we loved our cruise on the "beautyfull and mighty Dawn Princess" as our Captain Stefano Ravera used to say.

 

By the way the Captain surprised us, as he recognized that we are germans

he switched from english to german and told us that a part of his family is living in germany.

 

IT WAS REALY A GREAT CRUISE

 

Theo

[pgintct]

Jim, What a great review! I had to copy and paste it to a word document to remember some of the details that you listed. I have to agree with Jim on all of his sentiments about the ship..... she's as "beautiful and mighty" as Captain Ravera continually described her. If there are in fact any "problems" with her it certainly wasn't discernable. This was my second sun class cruise with Princess and I have no desire whatsoever to cruise on a larger ship. As Jim said meeting up with the great people that we corresponded with here on cruise critic prior to our sailing was one of the best parts of our experience. We met the best people ever! It made our experience all the more enjoyable. The only tour we did was the Tulum Mayan ruins and Xel-Ha Lagoon. Although a bit pricey it was an all day excursion. It went from 10 am until 6:30 pm. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and certainly had a passion for sharing his knowledge of the Mayan culture. Xel-Ha Lagoon was beautiful, our guide descibed it as an "aquarium that you can swim and snorkle in", and he was right.

Paul :)

[jayevee44]

Melissa,

 

Collectively, our family took over a thousand pictures, mostly digital, but I don’t know how to post them. So, if none of the other CC members on this cruise post their picutes, I’ll be glad to post some if someone can guide me through the process.

 

Jim

[melissa_bel]

Jim,

E-mail me at melissa_bel@mail2melissa.com.

Maybe I can help.

[NCP]

Great review!

 

Thank you

NCP

[CrusinQueen]

Thanks for the very detailed review Jim. We leave on her next Sunday and

I am more excited than usual after reading your comments!!

[balanceok]

We'll be on the January 29th 10-day cruise, so we really appreciate your review. Makes looking forward all the better.

 

Thanks.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Great review, I felt like I was on the ship along with you and the family.

 

Glad you had a great time.