Dawn vs Golden Princess

Has anyone sailed on both and could comment on how they compare - particularly in terms of size (how easy it is to negotiate ones way around the ship) and noticeable number of passengers.

We're not long off Dawn & I found her more than big enough (bearing in mind my preferred watercraft is a kayak or tinny!) - having mobility issues, it's a big area to negotiate and felt like I spent half my time on board waiting for lifts. Also found at times I struggled with the number of people as I'm no great fan of crowds (not helped by the few very rude people who felt they had the right to crack bad jokes about my wheelchair and/or use me as a leaning post in lifts...and worse, take offence when I had a problem with their behaviour :mad:)

On the whole, enjoyed it, and we're looking at one of the NZ cruises for next year. Parents are pushing for Golden - as she sails from Melbourne & fares are cheaper for them (no difference to me as third person), plus we'd have no dicking about with airfares, airport transfers etc. But holds some concerns for me her being a bigger ship and at full capacity substantially more passengers. Are those extra people more noticeable? (Thinking particularly if the age demographic is much the same & similar or worse competition for lifts at meal times and on port days) Does the Golden being bigger add much time/distance from Point A to Point B - especially when you factor in that I have no choice but to use a lift?

Cheers :)

Haven't been on that specific two ships.

But been on

Ships the size of Dawn

Way smaller, (Pacific Princess at 680 PAX)

And bigger.

We love the smaller ships, no secret there.

But have never found even the bigger ones crowded.

To us there are two main issues with the big ships...

1. Not so much the crowds as not getting to meet everyone, we also feel the personalised nature of service can fall off a little.

2. Port access and amenities, seems more tender ports, longer tender rides and some smaller ports feel a bit overrun.

Thanks GUT, is good to hear about crowds as that's my biggest worry...I start looking for hiding places when there are too many people to deal with at once :eek:

It was the service we had on Dawn that would bring me back to Princess over others, but if it proved only half as good next time I'd struggle to find fault.

But number of passengers in ports...some of our smaller ones were certainly overrun, even though I suspect quite a few people stayed on ship at tender ports. Have been to places like Akaroa of my own accord and can't imagine what it's like there when a couple of thousand cruise ship passengers come to call!

I would take the Golden over the Dawn every time. It seems much lighter and brighter. I find the ceilings on the Dawn quite low in places.

Regardless of which one you are talking about, neither can go into the small ports (for example up the river at Bangkok) as both as too large.

In terms of service and queuing I found no difference between the two. In terms of getting around the ships, both are probably about the same. I don't know what Princess does with its lifts but somehow you have to run from one side to the other at times. It is difficult to see which lift will be the next.

The Dawn has smaller cabins generally than Golden and less balconies. Golden also has many more suites and minis than Golden. It also has one more specialty restaurant.

If you didn't mind Dawn I don't think you would be disappointed with Golden. Yes, there are more people but there is also more space to put them. Guest ratio to staff is about the same on both.

I've been on both. We loved Golden.

Yes, Golden is bigger and that does translate to longer distances moving around the ship, especially from the Atrium to the Vista Lounge or Princess Theatre. The Horizon Court is aft on Golden, and the main Traditional Dining MDR is a pain to get to as it's aft, below the Vista Lounge, and only two lifts go there. However Golden has Anytime dining and those MDRs, plus breakfast and lunch are accessed from the Atrium. Note one MDR is Traditional early dining then changes to Anytime after that. If you prefer to dine in the MDRs later I suggest choosing Anytime dining rather than having the hassle of trying to get down to the rear MDR.

Because Golden is larger the passengers spread out more around it. We didn't notice much difference between Golden and Dawn in this respect. Sure, there will be times when there are crowds, like when a show has just finished, but the "rush" dissipates very quickly. The only area that gets congested is the route between the Atrium and the Vista Lounge, past the Explorers Bar, Wheelhouse Bar, Sabatinis, and the Photo Gallery, as there is only one way through but if you pick your times it isn't too bad.

On Golden most of the wheelchair-accessible cabins are forward, very close to the forward lifts. We used these lifts quite often and they never seemed crowded. There are three sets of lifts on Golden as opposed to two on Dawn. The laundrettes are fairly conveniently located to the forward cabins too.

We tended to go ashore after the rush died down so can't comment what it was like at peak times.

The advantage of Golden is that it does have more bars and restaurants. The Wheelhouse Bar is much cosier than on Dawn, the Explorers Bar is large, the International Cafe has more seating than Dawn's Patisserie although it can be difficult getting a seat there on sea days. The two speciality restaurants have their own areas, they are not just closed off parts of the Horizon Court like the Sterling Steakhouse is. Sabatinis is wonderful.

The main downside to Golden is the tiny shower cubicles, but that may not be an issue in a wheelchair-accessible cabin. I did get a peek at the interior of one of those balcony cabins when the steward was servicing it while we were waiting for a lift. It looked very spacious. I couldn't see into the bathroom of course.

Lifts remain a mystery to me too...I'd swear some people must have figured out how to fiddle the things, the way they'd randomly skip floors - or stop at every single one for no reason - but not me (if only!!)

Cabins...we're looking at three of us sharing a mini as accessible cabins I suspect are long since booked out ... only going on description/diagram & a handful of reviewers photos but Dawn looks to have bigger/better layout, esp with a third person in the cabin? Just not sure it is worth the extra $$, particularly given what you've both said about the extra passengers not being much of an issue.

Specialty restaurants probably aren't a factor for us...me being veg/near vegan and coeliac into the bargain, we stuck with MDR for nearly every meal last time as it was much easier for me knowing exactly what was in my food & having HW/waiters knowing from Day 1 what I could and couldn't eat. So likely will do much the same again whichever ship we choose.

Thanks again for the input :)

It was the service we had on Dawn that would bring me back to Princess over others, but if it proved only half as good next time I'd struggle to find fault.

 

But number of passengers in ports...some of our smaller ones were certainly overrun, even though I suspect quite a few people stayed on ship at tender ports. Have been to places like Akaroa of my own accord and can't imagine what it's like there when a couple of thousand cruise ship passengers come to call!

Service was brilliant on Golden.

Akaroa handles large cruise ships surprisingly well, we were there on Solstice last Christmas (Solstice is just a tad larger than Golden). Many people did tours, of course, but we didn't find the township too crowded and we've been there before on our own as well.

Cabins...we're looking at three of us sharing a mini as accessible cabins I suspect are long since booked out ... only going on description/diagram & a handful of reviewers photos but Dawn looks to have bigger/better layout, esp with a third person in the cabin? Just not sure it is worth the extra $$, particularly given what you've both said about the extra passengers not being much of an issue.

 

That's where there is a major difference between the Sun class ships and Golden. The mini-suites on Golden are not really a what I would call a suite, they are just a slightly longer cabin, with a sofa near the balcony door. The balcony is only single width but may be deeper than a normal balcony cabin. On Dawn the mini-suites are the size of two cabins, and the balcony is double-width. To get that configuration on Golden you would need to book a Penthouse Suite. However Golden has a lot of mini-suites, unlike Dawn.

On both ships the mini-suites have the shower over a bath, so you have to be able to cope with getting over the edge of the bath.

Lifts remain a mystery to me too...I'd swear some people must have figured out how to fiddle the things, the way they'd randomly skip floors - or stop at every single one for no reason - but not me (if only!!)

 

There was a rumour about a method to turn lifts into express lifts. It doesn't work on Golden :D

The "ding" and lights of the Golden lifts are a bit faint so you do have to watch carefully. We would each watch half the lifts. That worked for the forward lifts but for the midships ones, it would always be the one behind me that turned up first. ;)

Has anyone sailed on both and could comment on how they compare - particularly in terms of size (how easy it is to negotiate ones way around the ship) and noticeable number of passengers.

 

We're not long off Dawn & I found her more than big enough (bearing in mind my preferred watercraft is a kayak or tinny!) - having mobility issues, it's a big area to negotiate and felt like I spent half my time on board waiting for lifts. Also found at times I struggled with the number of people as I'm no great fan of crowds (not helped by the few very rude people who felt they had the right to crack bad jokes about my wheelchair and/or use me as a leaning post in lifts...and worse, take offence when I had a problem with their behaviour :mad:)

 

On the whole, enjoyed it, and we're looking at one of the NZ cruises for next year. Parents are pushing for Golden - as she sails from Melbourne & fares are cheaper for them (no difference to me as third person), plus we'd have no dicking about with airfares, airport transfers etc. But holds some concerns for me her being a bigger ship and at full capacity substantially more passengers. Are those extra people more noticeable? (Thinking particularly if the age demographic is much the same & similar or worse competition for lifts at meal times and on port days) Does the Golden being bigger add much time/distance from Point A to Point B - especially when you factor in that I have no choice but to use a lift?

 

Cheers :)

Hi,

I've been on both and if the Dawn was more than big enough for you then steer clear of the Golden. In saying that I loved the Golden but my husband didn't like it as much, and found it way too big. On the Golden there are plenty of lifts so you might find that you're not having to wait to long for one and although it is big it doesn't feel like there's too many people on it, and there lots of lovely outdoor spaces. We haven't been on the Dawn for a few years now, but we're going on it at Christmas before it gets sold off to P & O.

Trish

That's where there is a major difference between the Sun class ships and Golden. The mini-suites on Golden are not really a what I would call a suite, they are just a slightly longer cabin, with a sofa near the balcony door. The balcony is only single width but may be deeper than a normal balcony cabin. On Dawn the mini-suites are the size of two cabins, and the balcony is double-width. To get that configuration on Golden you would need to book a Penthouse Suite. However Golden has a lot of mini-suites, unlike Dawn.

 

On both ships the mini-suites have the shower over a bath, so you have to be able to cope with getting over the edge of the bath.

Yes, I noticed that the minis on the Golden deck plans did not look as big as what I would have expected. I don't like the over the bath showers at all as I don't like having to climb over the edge of the bath. I am quite short and just don't feel safe doing it.

I don't really remember the small showers but I do recall that the ones on RCI were tiny. Think I must have managed though.

Y

I don't really remember the small showers but I do recall that the ones on RCI were tiny. Think I must have managed though.

Lets just say that for the first 3-4 days my language during my shower was not repeatable ... until I worked out a routine to wash without a) getting soap or shampoo in my eyes, b) managing to wash without bashing my elbow on either the taps, body wash/shampoo bottles or grab rail, c) not dropping the soap (I always take my own) as it was almost impossible to pick up, d) not pushing the shower curtain over the edge of the shower and so drowning the bathroom floor.

I think it was smaller than RCI - or perhaps it was the layout, with the taps on one side wall, body wash and shampoo bottles on the back wall, grab rail on the other side wall, and the curtain curving around the rest. There wasn't much room for bodies.

Lets just say that for the first 3-4 days my language during my shower was not repeatable ... until I worked out a routine to wash without a) getting soap or shampoo in my eyes, b) managing to wash without bashing my elbow on either the taps, body wash/shampoo bottles or grab rail, c) not dropping the soap (I always take my own) as it was almost impossible to pick up, d) not pushing the shower curtain over the edge of the shower and so drowning the bathroom floor.

 

I think it was smaller than RCI - or perhaps it was the layout, with the taps on one side wall, body wash and shampoo bottles on the back wall, grab rail on the other side wall, and the curtain curving around the rest. There wasn't much room for bodies.

Glad I wasn't in the next cabin with all that blue air :eek: LOL

We've sailed both. 2 cruises (Melb to NZ 2012 &2014). We had previously sailed on the Golden in 2012 the first time in US. Our 2012 cruise was on the Dawn. Unfortunately we'd do compare it a lot to the Golden.

It was smaller, no international cafe and no anytime dining. This being said we had a great cruise. For this cruise though we did have a mini suite as we booked late and no cabins were available. The bathroom is different as other posters have indicated and in more in the full suite and more likely in the higher end suites. It did spoil me for bathroom.

The Golden is bigger but has the things we missed! Crowds fluctuate depending on events on both ships. Whilst we choose anytime dining sometimes to alleviate being in crowds sometimes it does mean compromising for events. There are more lifts as three lift areas but can be waits as on Dawn depending on when you use.

There is a window suite on the Golden. Haven't used it but it has separate bath and shower. Does not have balcony. Not sure how it is priced. It looks a bit smaller than the Dawn Mini.

Sailing from Melb is an advantage no travel to interstate ports (if that's where you live or close). No baggage restriction within reason.

Have only experienced Golden balcony bathrooms and they ate quite compact. I assume Dawn would be similar or perhaps even slightly more compact.

You will need to decide your priorities and what suits you but we had a good time on both cruises.

Depending on your needs it may be worth contacting Princess regarding accessible cabin. They may show booked out but if genuine need you may be able to be accommodated. The bathroom layout is different and may give you more room. A look at the cabin specs on the website may help.

Hope this helps.

I have been on both the Dawn and Golden, but several years ago.

I love the Dawn Princess and the layout. She would be my first choice.

The Golden is larger.

Just a few comments:

The mini suites on the Dawn Princess are larger then mini suites on Golden.

I love the pizzeria on the Dawn Princess

The balcony cabins are slightly larger on the Golden.

The balconies are not cut from the hull on the Golden and are larger

Length of Golden is 951 feet and the length of Dawn is 873 feet. The Golden and all Grand class ships have an odd layout that Princess people quickly get used to. It deals with figuring out which decks go length wise of the ship. Once you get that down, you are fine. It is confusing for those who sail other lines who come to Princess.

My Mom had mobility issues and the Sun Class ships (Dawn Princess in this class) were far better for her then the Golden. Though she sailed the Golden and her her sisters more often.

Glad I wasn't in the next cabin with all that blue air :eek: LOL

Luckily Princess cabins seem to be quite soundproof. I've never heard noise from adjoining cabins on Princess. :) We did on Celebrity Solstice though. :(

Luckily Princess cabins seem to be quite soundproof. I've never heard noise from adjoining cabins on Princess. :) We did on Celebrity Solstice though. :(

We have occasionally but only when something real loud was happening.

One cruise the lady next door ( she wasn't young) got rather vocal during some activities, fortunately that didn't seem to happen very often.

Gave us a giggle when we saw her in the corridors.

Have only experienced Golden balcony bathrooms and they ate quite compact. I assume Dawn would be similar or perhaps even slightly more compact.

 

No, they are actually slightly larger. The configuration of the bathroom depends on the cabin type. We had a balcony on Sun and the shower on that was almost triangular, so had a bit more space than Golden. On Dawn we had an inside cabin (bathroom next to desk) and that had an oblong shower which was also bigger than Golden.

Dawn mini won the day :D

Minky, Princess customer service were able to find a few accessible cabins for us on Golden when we spoke to them this afternoon...problem is that all are twin berth only, so even for an interior I'd be looking at upward of $3.5k for my fare, vs $850 as third person in a mini. Would be a different scenario if I was unable to stand at all - but being as I can stand/walk a wee bit with an arm to lean on, while its a pest getting the chair in and out the door the price difference makes it a no brainer....and I get a balcony for cruising the fiordlands...bonus :D

Ozkiwi...the shower is over the bath on Dawn minis? Have been trying to work that one out - as there are a few photos floating around labelled as mini rather than full suite but showing separate bath/shower...Princess description says combo but diagram has separate...and Princess woman who did our booking this afternoon said she'd put a shower stool on the booking....stupid me forgot to ask her for clarification (and doesn't really matter in the scheme of things...worst comes to worst I can sit on the floor and hoick myself over) - but now wondering how on earth you put a shower stool in a wee tub :confused::confused:

Sorry, LokiPoki, I haven't actually been in a mini on Dawn, I've only seen what people have posted here. As far as I know it is shower over bath. I find those diagrams very hard to follow and they aren't necessarity accurate e.g. the layout of the inside cabin bathroom we had last year was totally different to the diagram.

delete

LokiPoki

The bathroom on Dawn in our mini was a spa bath and separate shower (very roomy). As another poster has said this may be unique to the Dawn). I've looked on other ships and they appear to be standard bathrooms. I would maybe splurge for mini if they were like this. I think we have a photo I will look for it and post as well as our cabin number. The extra living space and longer balcony is also good.

We had a mini suite on the Dawn Princess when we sailed 2 months ago and the shower was definitely not over the bath! There was plenty of room in the shower area, with the spa bath alongside.:)

Well done LokiPoki - I hope you will have a wonderful cruise.

My first four cruises with Princess were on the Dawn Princess I love that ship because it's smaller then the Grand Princess. I was on the Grand twice.

Tony