Dawn Princess Question

[T&TRenault]

Hi! Sailing on the Dawn on 10/11 out of SF to Mexican Riveria.........can't wait!!! My question is "Should I pack the plastic shoe rack to hang on bathroom door"? I packed it for our Star Princess cruise and never used it since the bathroom had two shelves and there was a cabinet in the closet area that housed the safe and where I was able to store lotions, vitamins, hair brushes, bonine :), hair product, cologne, purfume, etc. We've never sailed on a Sun Class ship and I can't tell by the stateroom diagram if there is storage. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!

[West Coast]

You'll find the bathroom pretty much the same - except the shower is 'slightly' larger, at least that's the way it seems to me!

 

Plus, you have the same storage set-up with the two shelves on the side and one under the sink. Personally, I think the over the door space would take up more room than it saves as it's pretty tight in there when the door is closed.

[Coral]

What type of cabin do you have?

 

I found the balcony cabins on the Sun class have less storage space in the cabin then the insides and outside cabins. If you have a balcony - I would probably bring it.

[cruiseryyc]

Let me put it this way, myself and a friend (both of whom overpack) spent 18 days on the Dawn in May. We had absolutely no problem storing all of our junk (err, I meant precious belongings!!). Your suitcases will easily fit under your bed, and all your lotions, shoes, etc. will be easily stored on the shelving and cupboards provided. Have a great cruise on my favorite ship.

[T&TRenault]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We are on the Aloha Deck, 512, Balcony Cabin. I'm thinking I will pack it because if I don't I know we will wish we had. If I do pack it we won't need it. Go figure, that is how it always works. Glad to know the shower may be a tad bigger than the Star. I loved the board where folks were talking about their experiences in those small showers. My favorite was when they soaped up the walls and turned in circles in the shower. Just the visual cracked me up. Again, thanks for your comments. Only 20 days until I sail. WOOHOO!!!

[Blackrobe]

T&TRenault, we purchased one of those door holders and found it to be more of a hassle than a help. We have sailed on the Sea Princess twice, the Sun Princess and the Dawn Princess. We are booked on the Sea Princess for two more cruises. Needless to say we like the Sun class ships. As West Coast described, there is plenty of room for your stuff in the bath. The door hanger will just get in the way.

[suron]

You say Dawn is your favourite ship. Where have you travelled to on it? We have just booked a Rockies Land Tour from Calgary to Seattle prior to picking up Dawn in Seattle for an Alaskan cruise - we leave England on 22nd May 06.

 

Because of the special promotion on which we booked (at huge savings) it did not allow us to have an outside or balcony cabin but we are happy with our inside on Caribe which is mid-ship. It is virtually in the same position as our cabin on Caribe deck on Star when we did the Baltic itinerary in August this year and that was fine. We figured that having an inside cabin would encourage us to make the effort to get up early and get out on deck to experience all the wonderful sights and the money saved by not upgrading will go towards excursions and on board expenses. As you can appreciate our prices from England soar rather with the high air fare element of the trip.

 

Do you have any tips regarding Dawn or even maybe the itinerary we are doing?

 

Regards from

Suron in Bristol, England

 

Looking forward to all the planning for what we have been told will be a super trip.

[Coral]

Do you have any tips regarding Dawn or even maybe the itinerary we are doing?.

 

There are 2 front decks which has incredible views on glacier days. I believe it is Aloha and Baha (someone please correct me if I am wrong). You go to the very front of these 2 passenger decks and there are unmarked doors that lead outside. These decks are directly below the Bridge and have fantastic front viewing - this may be perfect for Tracy Arm day.

 

The Dawn is a classy ship - I wouldn't worry about being in inside - the Dawn has some great viewing decks.

[Joy2Day]

Coral, you are right. Those viewing decks are on Aloha and Baja decks. We spent a lot of time out there for Glacier Bay and while cruising the inside passage. There is also a more heavily-accessed forward area on the Lido deck directly in front of the Horizon Court. This area is accessed via the outside stairs near pool area outside the Horizon Court. Go up to the Sun deck, then back down to the Lido deck.

 

The bar/Patisserie on the Plaza deck has the best coffee on the ship. Unfortunately, the smokers tended to congregate there.

[cruiseryyc]

I've done the Panama Canal twice on the Dawn and was fortunate to have a balconey both times. However as other posters have said the Dawn has some great viewing locations - my favorite spot is the Promenade Deck with the teak deck chairs. For pre-dinner cocktails and dancing I recommend the Wheelhouse Bar (actually its great after dinner too!!).

 

Enjoy your time on the Dawn and in particular, your land tour starting in my home town!!

[recia]

"The bar/Patisserie on the Plaza deck has the best coffee on the ship"

Do they charge for regular coffee here, I know they do for speciality coffee. Also, do you what time they are open?

[sable1]

Can I assume that the teak deck chairs have cushions? I have a very bony tail bone and can't sit on a hard chair. Do I need to bring a cushion?

Thanks,

Happy sailing and look forward to some posts after the cruise, before we sail on the 31st

Joanne, the chocoholic

[Joy2Day]

"The bar/Patisserie on the Plaza deck has the best coffee on the ship"

Do they charge for regular coffee here, I know they do for speciality coffee. Also, do you what time they are open?

 

No charge for regular coffee. They just had a pot of coffee on a warmer and some of the wonderful pastries there as well.

[cruiseryyc]

Yes the teak chairs have cushions. The only problem with these chairs is the fact that they are way too comfortable - once sitting in them I had trouble staying awake!!!!!

[yancycruiser]

Thanks for posting the question and all the responses. After sailing on larger ships we are trying the smaller sun class and I had concerns about space on a balcony cabin espicially for a ten-day cruise.

[JoniPoni]

Just adding my two cents - I sailed Dawn last April with my cousin and we had PLENTY of storage room. This is for TWO WOMEN!! There were a couple of full closets and a couple that also had shelving components in them; those were great for chucking odd sundries in them. We had an inside (but at a price we couldn't ignore) and weren't the least sorry.

 

Dawn is my favorite so far, too, even though she is older than many sun class ships -- she is classy and well kept up. Enjoy your trip! I am jealous!! :)

[Coral]

The inside cabins on the Sun class have A LOT more storage compared to the balconies. I went from an inside to a balcony on a B2B in Alaska on the Dawn and definitely noticed the difference.

 

On my balcony cabin - there were no long dresser drawers - there were just small desk drawers at the desk plus the stand the tv sits on. I had tons of long dresser drawers in my inside cabin.

 

If I had to do it again, I would still go with the balcony and deal with the limited storage.

 

Here is a pic of the balcony cabin on the Dawn:

 

 

This pic doesn't show the closet but you can see the desk and the tv stand.