Just off the Dawn Princess

As you can see by my signature, I’m a fickle cruiser and not loyal to any certain line. My experience this cruise has not steered me either away or towards Princess in the future, as it only served to reinforce my belief that all lines have their pluses and minuses.

Pre-cruise: We flew into San Diego the day before our cruise and since our flight was delayed six hours due to weather (snowing in Atlanta!) and two different mechanical failures, we didn’t land until 4:10pm and would have missed the boat if we’d flown the day of the cruise. We stayed at the Dolphin Motel near the fishing marina and loved the low price, retro styling, free breakfast, and super-friendly owners. Dinner that night was at Arrivederci and I highly recommend this authentic Italian restaurant with its excellent food and nice, affordable wine selection.

Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived around 11:30 and were onboard a little after noon. The ship left port late (noticing a pattern here?) due to mechanical problems, so sailaway coincided with sunset and we got some great shots of the San Diego skyline.

The Dawn Princess is a lovely ship and we found the layout to be very easy to navigate. Décor was typical Princess, understated and calming. This was our first time with an inside cabin and the location was perfect (E339)- convenient to everything and only a few short steps from the atrium. Yes, I did end up missing our usual balcony, but the inside cabin was nice enough and probably had the largest shower of any cabin we’ve sailed.

The fitness center offered excellent equipment, facilities, and instructors. I enjoyed the yoga, bike, abs, and stretch classes, but found the payment method highly annoying. At the end of each class all participants were marched over to the spa reception where each card was swiped by the instructors, then we had to find our cards and sign. I would hope they could come up with something more efficient, but maybe that’s not possible? Anyway, I noticed this California cruise had a lot more fitness-minded passengers, so you will probably find the gym near capacity at certain times.

Anytime dining worked well for us, as it had in the past. We were a huge group and they had no problems seating all ten of us most nights, even the times we didn’t have a reservation. Dining room service was fine, but I must admit to finding most of the food underwhelming at best. Cuisine is a Princess shortcoming, I think, but as long as you stick to the appetizers, soups, and salads, you should be satisfied. Entrée choices were uninspired and at times of poor quality. One of the giant prawns on the second formal night turned to mush in my mouth and I almost lost my appetite! In contrast, the cold scallops appetizer a few days earlier was one of the best things I’ve eaten lately.

Buffets offered usual fare, and were not as good on the Dawn as the Caribbean Princess a few years ago. A highlight of the buffet for me was the steak offered the night at PV- delicious! The omelet station for breakfast was also very good. Oh, and the chocolate-dipped strawberries we ordered for the cabin were fantastic.

Crew and staff were well-trained and friendly, although some of them lacked the language skills to do their jobs well. There were several times when I asked for things like “Café Americano” at the coffee bar or dining room and received either a blank stare or the wrong order. Nick, our room steward, was very nice, well-spoken, and efficient.

We booked excursions through the internet before leaving and luckily did not book anything for Mazatlan since we couldn’t dock for several hours as we waited for heavy fog to lift. I cannot vouch for ship excursions, but I would assume they were the usual crowded, expensive (although enjoyable) bunch.

We chartered a small sailboat in Cabo (The Yael Chica) to whale-watch and sight-see, which we LOVED. It was sad to see the whales constantly harassed by motorboats, but I suppose there is nothing one can do about that. We watched them from a safe distance and our friends got some great photos.

Since we’re pale gringos, we had plenty of sun in Cabo and decided to relax onboard when the ship finally docked in Mazatlan. We could see the lovely yellow cathedral from deck, as well as the lighthouse and Pacifico brewery, but I heard that lots of people were disappointed with Mazatlan in general.

In PV we had booked the zip line tour from Los Veranos Canopy and really, really enjoyed ourselves. After roughly two miles of riding from one platform to another, we had lunch and drinks at the restaurant, then played with the monkeys. One of them stole my husband’s sunglasses from his pocket and climbed to the highest branch in his cage- ha ha! Somehow we coaxed them from the little bugger.

Entertainment: Again, Princess underwhelms us here with lack of choices and fairly pedestrian offerings. We enjoyed the very last performance of a song & dance show, “Tribute” and the performers really put their hearts into it. I was impressed. The piano woman was talented and seemed to be having a great time, so we enjoyed her. The rock band was pretty good, too, but that was about it for music. The disco seemed “thrown into” the ship as an afterthought and the few times we visited the place was deserted. It has these weird revolving doors, so you cannot see into it and discretely check out the scene. I also doubt you’d be able to chat with friends while they’re playing music inside because it seemed overly loud.

Another slight problem we experienced was the affects of sharing the ship with the ASU spring break crowd. They got pretty rowdy quickly and broke a beer bottle in one of the pools, forcing it to close for cleaning and buckets of beer were no longer sold. During the Mexican Fiesta they decided to do cannonballs in the pool, splashing everyone trying to listen to the band, so they closed that pool, too. If a hundred or so college students could cause this much ruckus, I can only imagine what it’s like the weeks surrounding Easter!

The new disembarkation program worked well. We were simply given a time and place to assemble after vacating our cabin and they fetched us when the time came to leave the ship. Between leaving the cabin and disembarkation we had breakfast and read our books in the library- no problems and no crowding.

Princess Pros:

-Pleasant embarking/disembarking

-Fresh water pools

-Fridge in all cabins

-Anytime dining

-Professional/Friendly staff & crew

-Fitness Center

Princess Cons:

-Mediocre food

-Bland decore

-Lackluster nightlife (bars closed early IMO)

-Language/communication problems

-Limited music choices

I’m sure I’m forgetting something, so if you have any questions- ask away!

I appreciate your input. A couple of questions if you don't mind.

1. What is the name of the current captain?

2. Re: anytime dining, I too am traveling with a group of 10 and wanted to make a reservation for the first night so we would be assured of sitting together. Which dining room is used and what is the name of the Maitri'd, if you can recall.

Thanks for taking the time.

Thanks for the review. My last few cruises were with a large group. This year it's just me and my wife on the Dawn, I'm looking forward to a nice quiet cruise for a change. I'm a bit disappointed to hear about the food, I always enjoyed their food.

I appreciate your input. A couple of questions if you don't mind.

 

1. What is the name of the current captain?

 

2. Re: anytime dining, I too am traveling with a group of 10 and wanted to make a reservation for the first night so we would be assured of sitting together. Which dining room is used and what is the name of the Maitri'd, if you can recall.

 

Thanks for taking the time.

1. I don't have my Patter in front of me and can't remember their names right now. . . I'll look it up and post them later unless someone else can chime in!

2. We ate in the Florentine dining room, I believe. You will probably get better service by making a standing reservation. Again, terrible with names but I will post later.

Thanks for the review. My last few cruises were with a large group. This year it's just me and my wife on the Dawn, I'm looking forward to a nice quiet cruise for a change. I'm a bit disappointed to hear about the food, I always enjoyed their food.

You're welcome! I wouldn't worry too much about the food. I confess that I'm a bit of a foodie and love international cuisine, whereas the Princess menus are on the safe side (IMO). Our last cruise was on Celebrity and we thought the food was a notch above.

I agree with you, our first cruise was with Celebrity and we also thought it was a notch above

Our last cruise was on Celebrity and we thought the food was a notch above.

Great review! Was the sewer smell still a problem in the lowest level deck (deck 5?) in the Atrium area? It was pretty stinky back in December/January.

:eek: EEEWWW! Our stateroom is on that deck.

Great review! Was the sewer smell still a problem in the lowest level deck (deck 5?) in the Atrium area? It was pretty stinky back in December/January.

Thanks! I did not smell any sewage stink on that deck or any other and I have a pretty sensitive nose. We had drinks there the last night of the cruise and I went down for coffees quite often and never smelled anything odd.

They must have fixed the problem?

Now, I personally thought that most of the food was very good. Here is a little hint, the lunches in the dinning room are better than the dinners. Why, because less hectic and some really unique choices.

We also did most breakfasts in the DR and it was great to be waited on and not have to stress about finding an empty table.

I thought that the buffet layout was terrible and I was happy to find the Dr open and serving very nice breakfasts.

I tried a little of everything and while a couple of items we a dissapointment, most of it was very good.

Don't forget the warm cookies and ice cream at 3:30 in the Horizon court and yes, order the choc. dipped strawberrys for your room, they are worth the $8, oh yeah:D Just my opinion, Kris

Now, I personally thought that most of the food was very good. Here is a little hint, the lunches in the dinning room are better than the dinners. Why, because less hectic and some really unique choices.

We also did most breakfasts in the DR and it was great to be waited on and not have to stress about finding an empty table.

I thought that the buffet layout was terrible and I was happy to find the Dr open and serving very nice breakfasts.

I tried a little of everything and while a couple of items we a dissapointment, most of it was very good.

Don't forget the warm cookies and ice cream at 3:30 in the Horizon court and yes, order the choc. dipped strawberrys for your room, they are worth the $8, oh yeah:D Just my opinion, Kris

Thanks for your advice! We did the buffet on NCL each morning because we had early excursions. This one we are not doing any and will have time to have a leisurely breakfast.

Thanks for the review.. I agree in that on our last cruise on the Dawn the food was not very good and the service in the dining room not much better.

Thanks for taking time to write a review.

Well there was not a sewage smell on Plaza deck (5) anymore, the dawn was nice and the food was better than I eat at home anyday... I for one loved the cruise! The current captain I believe was Marco Fortezzi. Anytime worked very well for us there was alot less pressure than with traditional

Oh, I forgot to mention La Scalla pizzeria! It's in the top level (8?) of the atrium and open for lunch & dinner most days. I generally enjoyed both of my meals there, but I noticed they were understaffed and many folks were kept waiting to be seated w/o acknowledgement when things got busy. There are more choices for dinner, so I recommend visiting then. Dinner menu offered soup, salad, and a delicious antipasta tray with various cheeses, meats, and marinated veggies. Both times I ordered the Hawaiian pizza (ham & pineapple) and as much as I love a thin crust, I noticed the dough was much too salty. That was possibly a temporary problem.

Also wanted to mention a bananas foster dessert they offered in the dining room one night, which wasn't on the menu. It was fantastic and I could have easily eaten three of them.

That sounds great! Will definitely check it out!

That sounds great! Will definitely check it out!

Sounds great to me too!

Won't be long before we're experiencing this together.:D

Dianne

Hey there.... I saw you on the cruise! My GF and I said Hi a couple of times, we never did exchange names etc. I very much agree with your review. I am working on my take on it right now.

It was the most mediocre cruise I have ever been on, be that Princess or otherwise. I did enjoy the decor of ship, found it pretty, but over all a very boring experience, that is while on the ship.

My BIG complaint was the lack of activities, and the few that were offered were tremendously boring. I put that squarely on the shoulders of the CD (Gavin) and his staff. The activities were in general were akin to watching paint dry and the nightlife non-existent. So you and I do very much agree.

A moment both GF and I found ironic occurred at the VERY lack luster past guest party, the old bitty who has that exhausting job of being the Captain Circle rep, made it a point to note the attractive “young” people in the audience. In unison, we look over at each other and say, good thing this was not there first cruise or they would have never been back for a second…….. some people we were sitting next to over heard us and agreed.

Anyway I am not going to turn this into a review but I will say.. Here is the proof of why I say they were selling “snake oil” which seemed to irk some people (read cheerleaders) here on CC.

Ionithermie - Cellulite reduction Treatment. $159 (1 session) $399 (3 sessions) anyone care to guess how many will need more then one session??

Anyway, here is the list “issues” and problems that this “treatment” solves----

Detoxifies and Remineralizes

Firms and Tones

Reduces water retention

Eliminates toxins through lymphatic drainage

Improves circulation

Eliminates swollen feet

Prevents headaches

Reduces appearance of cellulite by 15-45%

Improves skin texture

Spot reduction

Major energy boost

Loss 3-8 inches in one session (OK, this is the deal breaker… my GF would be really upset with me if I “lost” 3-8 inches, I would be none to happy about it either.)

By the way…. Don’t miss the small print….”In order to maintain and further enhance the results, your Ionithermist will prescribe the most beneficial homecare programme for you” (Again, this is a deal breaker, I can only speak for myself here, but I can only afford to lose 3-8 inches 3 or 4 times before my GF would leave me and I am sure getting a date would become difficult and I certainly don’t want to maintain and further “enhance” the results.)

Ok, so why do I even know about this rubbish that was offered on the Dawn? Because there was such a lack of anything else to do on Sea days I found myself actually reading the junk the Spa put in the mailbox and included with the Patter!

By the way the Captain is Marco Fortezze. He did a fine job, very good at communicating and keeping the ship PAX informed as to what all was going on. He was not afraid to use the PA system to tell us “stuff”. He also was not afraid of the Fog horn when entering and leaving ports… (some Captains are.. it seems) He told the world the Dawn Princess was arriving, leaving and let that horn do its thing in all of its glory…..I always love that.

Oh, in case the thread I started was missed about the Taking of the SS card at debarkation... yeah, that really ticked me off........

"One of the giant prawns on the second formal night turned to mush in my mouth and I almost lost my appetite! In contrast, the cold scallops appetizer a few days earlier was one of the best things I’ve eaten lately."

I had the same experience. My first two were great, then the waiter brought over a plate with six of them and every one of them was like mush.

Are they still serving thumb sized lobster tail? When I was on two months ago, not only were they thumb sized, were only allowed two each.

The food did seem a bit worse than what we had on the Golden the previous year. Even the princess fetuccini seemed a bit different (maybe they are using margarine instead of butter?). Ours was an ok cruise- nothing stood out as being great, or being bad. it has been two months and already I have more memories of my CCL Victory cruise four years ago that i do of my recent Dawn cruise. What I remember is that there was a comedian who showed a video of himself eons ago when he wasn't yet a has been who was the worst act I have ever seen, an excellent trip with Randy's Happy Horses in Mazatlan, so-so ding room and a ship that was the cleanest ship that I had ever sailed on.

I was on Dawn the week before the OP. Food was marginal. I was displeased that I had to pay $2.50 for hot chocolate. (Later was told it is available in the DR at breakfast only). The included ice cream was inferior but did enjoy the fresh baked cookies @ 4 PM. Staff all were great as far as we were involved. We were on Deck 11 and smelled major sewage smell for a few hours on 3 different occasions.....gross and it woke me up it was so bad. The only entertainment we went to was the ventrilogist and he was pretty good. (I think the one that won America's got talent is MUCH better). The ports were as expected in Cabo and Mazatlan - you had to put up with the cabbies and junk sellers. At least in PV the port was decent and walking the Malecon was enjoyable. Tablemates rode the city bus back and got their wallet pickpocketed. Yikes!!

Others on our cruise everything including the food. I don't think I'm that demanding or picky but this wasn't my favorite cruise. I'm going on Princess again and hope that the food portion picks up.

Hey there.... I saw you on the cruise! My GF and I said Hi a couple of times, we never did exchange names etc. I very much agree with your review. I am working on my take on it right now.

It was the most mediocre cruise I have ever been on, be that Princess or otherwise. I did enjoy the decor of ship, found it pretty, but over all a very boring experience, that is while on the ship.

My BIG complaint was the lack of activities, and the few that were offered were tremendously boring. I put that squarely on the shoulders of the CD (Gavin) and his staff. The activities were in general were akin to watching paint dry and the nightlife non-existent. So you and I do very much agree.

Hey RW! I must apologize for not attending the CC meet-ups and not getting a chance to meet you or your GF. The wine tasting coincided with our 3PM sea day plans, and by the time the official one rolled around I was feeling lazy.

As far as activities go, they did seem light this cruise. My husband and I attended most of the GLBT group meetings even though we're none of the above. . . I guess you could call us "friends of friends of Dorothy", ha ha, and since the group was mostly our pals, they allowed us to join in the champagne and chat. I was surprised how often they held them and felt lucky to have been able to participate. If it weren't for those we'd have been twiddling our thumbs (or reading) a lot more.

I have a feeling the lack of nightlife stemmed from the officers trying to discourage the spring break crowd from really going nuts, but I could be wrong about that. I just remember midnight rolling around and suddenly it's last call. . . Nothing terrible about that, but it seemed weird.

The wine tasting was the exact same as the one we had on Caribbean Princess several years ago, so that was a bit of a disappointment. A few of the wines may have been different, but the snacks and program seemed identical. I didn't learn anything new, but I was reminded how much I loathe sweet wine. I guess that's something!

Anyway, I look forward to reading more of your thoughts on the cruise.

I too was on the Dawn Princess during that voyage (Mar 9).....don't forget about the medical evacuation we had also!! From what we heard and the Captain seemed to confirm it, we had a birth on board which made us stop in Cabo on our return to San Diego.....I personally thought that was kind of cool.....

I too was on the Dawn Princess during that voyage (Mar 9).....don't forget about the medical evacuation we had also!! From what we heard and the Captain seemed to confirm it, we had a birth on board which made us stop in Cabo on our return to San Diego.....I personally thought that was kind of cool.....

Yep, and it was a crew member!!! Anything can (and will) happen during a 10-month contract. The rumor I heard was that she sneezed and went into labor. Isn't that a hoot? Mom, dad (both crew members) and baby were dropped off in Cabo.

I've cruised enough to be surprised when there is NOT some sort of medical evacuation. It goes with the territory and adds to the excitement.

Yep, and it was a crew member!!! Anything can (and will) happen during a 10-month contract. The rumor I heard was that she sneezed and went into labor. Isn't that a hoot? Mom, dad (both crew members) and baby were dropped off in Cabo.

 

I've cruised enough to be surprised when there is NOT some sort of medical evacuation. It goes with the territory and adds to the excitement.

Lord, I wish a sneeze would bring on labor having birthed three kids.

More power to the parents, baby and crew of the ship for bringing that baby into this world successfully.

Have seen my share of things happening on ships as well after 21 cruises but have never known about being on a ship when one of the crew gave birth to a newbie.

Wow!:D

Dianne

Great review! Was the sewer smell still a problem in the lowest level deck (deck 5?) in the Atrium area? It was pretty stinky back in December/January.

We were part of Rockwife's group and two of our cabins were all the way forward on Baja deck 10.... (B-202 and B-205) the forward hallways always had a strong sewer smell. Sometimes it even smelled like dirty diapers. Fortunately we couldnt smell it in our cabins.

Interesting find: there is a door at the very front of the hallway. It leads out on the forward deck. The door is not labelled and I rarely found anyone else out there. It was the perfect place to get a shot of the sunrise over the city on the morning we arrived back into San Diego.

A moment both GF and I found ironic occurred at the VERY lack luster past guest party, the old bitty who has that exhausting job of being the Captain Circle rep, made it a point to note the attractive “young” people in the audience.

Nice to see I wasnt the only one that was taken aback by her comment. Maybe it was just the way she said it, I dunno. Her jokes werent very funny so our group concluded that maybe she aspired for the CD staff but was relegated to Captains Circle hostess.

I think her name was Anita? One morning I saw a couple of ladies pacing the floor around Anita's desk. Apparently it was during her posted "open" hours but she wasnt there. They had been waiting for a while and started complaining to the Purser staff.

I needed to talk to her one afternoon and noticed she was working on something at her desk so I walked over. Seeing the posted hours sign I realized it wasnt during her "open" time. Out of courtesy I asked, "are you open". She replied, "No, but what do you need?" Granted she did take the time to talk to me, but I felt she was a bit rough around the edges especially when compared to her peers on other ships. Most of the others have been friendly and courteous.

We were part of Rockwife's group and two of our cabins were all the way forward on Baja deck 10.... (B-202 and B-205) the forward hallways always had a strong sewer smell. Sometimes it even smelled like dirty diapers. Fortunately we couldnt smell it in our cabins.

 

Interesting find: there is a door at the very front of the hallway. It leads out on the forward deck. The door is not labelled and I rarely found anyone else out there. It was the perfect place to get a shot of the sunrise over the city on the morning we arrived back into San Diego.

Thanks for the tip - will keep that in mind.;)