Dawn Princess - Please help me as to whether I should make a new booking!!

[ratacake]

Hi everyone,

 

I've actually made a tentative booking on Dawn Princess for South Pacific on January 29. Silly me!! I didn't read any reviews on Cruise Critic first!!!! The price is great, the timing is great, but our reviewers have talked about a tired boat, crook food, terribly loud music around the pool, and then the Movies Under the Stars! Well, it's enough to make a grown Cruise Critic reader cry..........

 

What to do - listen to the people who talk about the "90's look - brown, mushroom and gold glitter hanging from the ceilings" and the BORING entertainment of a night..... or to book and see what happens.

 

I mean, its a BRISBANE departure, and we seem to get screwed by the cruise companies who say that they service all the ports in OZ so that everyone is looked after,and then we get very little choice.

 

The thing is that after the end of January 2016, there's virtually nothing going out of Brissie apart from 2 and 3 and 4 dayers, or 7 days on the poor old Pacific Dawn.

 

I've spent hours trying to find a good priced cruise, either a 10-11 dayer, at a reasonable price. Has anyone else looked but not found? I mean, Princess prices are very reasonable this year.

 

Please help - my hubby doesn't like the idea of spending extra money flying down to Sydney and back (we live at Nambucca Heads - halfway between Sydney and Brissie, but we can park at Westside?/Eastside? Parking in Brissie and be driven to the boat - so much easier than flying with all the luggage etc).

 

I really need your assistance here - any input would be much appreciated.

 

ratacake

[mattie00]

Don't believe everything you read. Review are very personal and subjective. We, too, have read absolutely awful reviews before every cruise only to find no issue for us. We are very easy going, go with the flow type of people though and have never, ever had an absolutely horrible cruise. Sure, sometimes food isn't up to our taste or service a bit slow...but never anything to spoil a great vacation. Having said that, this is our first non-Norwegian cruise so we are hoping to have the same happy experience with Princess.

[CruiserBruce]

Just got off Dawn on Sept 6. Yes, she was built in the late 90's. But "tired" is not a word I would attribute to Dawn.

 

 

Food was average to above average, not great. Certainly not bad.

 

 

Entertainment was quite varied. Perhaps the best selection of entertainment in our 18 cruises and 250+ days on 3 different cruise lines. Yes, there were some things that didn't interest us, but there were many things that did.

 

 

Your comment about MUTS is pretty vague...can't comment. We enjoyed some of the things on MUTS, particularly the concert videos at 5pm.

Edited September 24, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[Kinkacruiser]

I wouldn't 'jump ship' based on a few minor criticisms. Go with an open mind and enjoy yourselves. We love cruises out of Brisbane (very convenient for us).

[peter.kath@hotmail.com]

We have booked the Aria out of Brisbane 4/3/16' Noumea Vila Fiji and Tonga and I did see they had one going on the 1/2/16.

[bazshirl2]

Don't believe everything you read. Review are very personal and subjective. We, too, have read absolutely awful reviews before every cruise only to find no issue for us. We are very easy going, go with the flow type of people though and have never, ever had an absolutely horrible cruise. Sure, sometimes food isn't up to our taste or service a bit slow...but never anything to spoil a great vacation. Having said that, this is our first non-Norwegian cruise so we are hoping to have the same happy experience with Princess.

Agree fully with these comments.

Have travelled on the Dawn many times on short and long cruises. Crew were great as was the whole experience.

Go with an open mind and you will have a great time. Barry:)

[sagittarius]

Was on Dawn Princess in July this year and found her fine. Not sure if she has "90s" decoration style but was clean and fresh. On our three week trip entertainment was good and varied. Love live music with the shows.

 

Food was fine too. But we love the serve yourself salad bar with all its variety!! Meals at night in the main dining room were tasty. In fact my only issue in the dining room is that the chairs are too low for the height of the table which was easily sorted with extra cushion. :)

 

We like MUTS at night and watched several films under the stars. Know that MUTS can be a contentious issue for some. Didn't need during the day but then we sat out the back or on promenade deck, which is a wonderful area.

 

We had wonderful trip and would book again tomorrow if we had any holiday time left.

[ratacake]

Hi everyone,

 

I must have been too tired when I wrote my begging letter to you all last night! The ship actually sails out of Sydney, not Brisbane.

 

I think I was also brainwashed about Brisbane, because we've been trying to get a cruise, any cruise, out of Brisbane around and after that period (Jan. 29, 2016). All the cruises up to June, with the exception of the new Pacific Aria, are only short ones, and I want to get my bum on for more than three or four days!

 

Anyway, grateful thanks to those who have already written trying to emphasise the positive aspects and we'll see what develops:D

 

Kind regards

ratacake

[tickford]

Been on the Dawn twice, in May she was looking tired around the pool,mainly some of the tiles and wood, maybe they fixed that when she was in dry dock in June.

Hated the music at MUTS, mainly because having been on Princess cruises a few times they were a bit repetitive, the movies at MUTS pretty good.

We spent a lot of time during the day around the pool and only rarely did the music annoy us, mostly because some of it was not our style.

A couple shows keep getting repeated, they need to do something about that however it is all a personal thing, do not be put off by what you read. Crew are great, food is good, especially if you don't have to cook it yourself.

A cruise is what you make it and if you look for faults you will find them. There is always something to do.

Enjoy yourself.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We were on Dawn a few weeks ago and really enjoyed our 17 day cruise. The food wasn't quite as good as on Sun Princess last Christmas but was still fine. We really enjoyed the entertainment, there were some great shows. The music around the pool wasn't excessive, and MUTS didn't disturb us. The staff were lovely and the ship looked in good condition. I love the Atrium on the Sun class ships, it always looks elegant.

[Blue Elephant]

Hi everyone,

 

I must have been too tired when I wrote my begging letter to you all last night! The ship actually sails out of Sydney, not Brisbane.

 

I think I was also brainwashed about Brisbane, because we've been trying to get a cruise, any cruise, out of Brisbane around and after that period (Jan. 29, 2016). All the cruises up to June, with the exception of the new Pacific Aria, are only short ones, and I want to get my bum on for more than three or four days!

 

Anyway, grateful thanks to those who have already written trying to emphasise the positive aspects and we'll see what develops:D

 

Kind regards

ratacake

 

Legend of the Seas will still be sailing out of Brisbane in February if that is any help. she should be in fine condition. We sailed on her for our first Mediterranean cruise in 2013.

[CruiserBruce]

Legend of the Seas will still be sailing out of Brisbane in February if that is any help. she should be in fine condition. We sailed on her for our first Mediterranean cruise in 2013.

 

 

Oddly enough, Legend of the Seas is older than Dawn Princess.

[Cavallo]

Comforting to read this thread. We are doing the 17 day Top End in September next year and it will be our first experience of MUTS. Looking forward to watching a movie or two under the stars and it is good to know there are places to go to get away from the music if you are not enjoying it as I did have concerns about that. As for the food, it would have to be unbelievably bad to be a problem for us. When you read the reviews it does leave you wondering what you are in for, but for me 17 days on a ship is always better than 17 days at work :D

[OzKiwiJJ]

Comforting to read this thread. We are doing the 17 day Top End in September next year and it will be our first experience of MUTS. Looking forward to watching a movie or two under the stars and it is good to know there are places to go to get away from the music if you are not enjoying it as I did have concerns about that. As for the food, it would have to be unbelievably bad to be a problem for us. When you read the reviews it does leave you wondering what you are in for, but for me 17 days on a ship is always better than 17 days at work :D

 

We did that cruise last month - Fremantle to Sydney. It was great. There are plenty of quiet places around the ship. Remember, Princess ships have the Sanctuary which costs a bit extra but is worth it when you want peace, quiet and comfort. Also if you have the late dinner sitting and want a quiet place for a pre-dinner drink go to Magnums, just past the Art Gallery. That was our go to place when we weren't in the mood for the entertainers in the Atrium or the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

To put my earlier comment about the food into perspective, we were more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food on our first cruise on Sun Princess, it was better than expected. Dawn Princess was more what we expected initially. It was tasty food, served hot, and bigger portions than on Sun. I guess it just comes down to how the executive chef of each ship runs his galleys. I think the guy on Sun is more of a perfectionist.

[Cavallo]

We did that cruise last month - Fremantle to Sydney. It was great. There are plenty of quiet places around the ship. Remember, Princess ships have the Sanctuary which costs a bit extra but is worth it when you want peace, quiet and comfort. Also if you have the late dinner sitting and want a quiet place for a pre-dinner drink go to Magnums, just past the Art Gallery. That was our go to place when we weren't in the mood for the entertainers in the Atrium or the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

To put my earlier comment about the food into perspective, we were more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food on our first cruise on Sun Princess, it was better than expected. Dawn Princess was more what we expected initially. It was tasty food, served hot, and bigger portions than on Sun. I guess it just comes down to how the executive chef of each ship runs his galleys. I think the guy on Sun is more of a perfectionist.

 

Thanks for your helpful advice OzKiwi, we are looking forward to our cruise. Any recommendations for shore tours for a couple of Kiwis who have never been further north than Hervey (hope I spelt that correctly) Bay?

We prefer the more active options rather than coach tours. Can you swim at the beaches up there at this time of year - I understand the pool on DP is one of the coldest on the ocean!

Edited September 25, 2015 by Cavallo

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks for your helpful advice OzKiwi, we are looking forward to our cruise. Any recommendations for shore tours for a couple of Kiwis who have never been further north than Hervey (hope I spelt that correctly) Bay?

 

They only tour we did was in Lombok. Although it was interesting seeing the island scenery - towns, villages, farms - it was a long day. However it's probably the best way to sightsee there unless you can find a private tour.

 

At Geraldton the locals run a hop on hop off shuttle bus for $5. It'd good for getting up to the HMAS Sydney memorial, however the town itself is easy to walk around.

 

In Broome the ship has free shuttles to take you into the town. If you want to go to Cable Beach just catch the local bus. It's very easy.

 

We only had a short stop in Darwin, we departed at 2pm. We were meeting a friend for coffee at Parap markets. The shuttle bus was $20 per person but only ran every hour. We got a taxi and asked the driver to take us on the "scenic" route, through the city and past some landmarks. It cost about $26, and our return trip was about $18 so not much more than using the shuttle. There is a lovely waterfont area a short walk from the dock with lots of cafes.

 

You may want to do a tour from Port Douglas. The scenic train / skyrail combo to Kuranda is good. It leaves from near Cairns and the drive to there is spectacular. The Daintree trips are good too and, of course, there is the Great Barrier Reef. If you don't want to tour then Port Douglas township is just a short walk from the marina where the tenders dock, and walking around the township and to the beach is easy and mostly flat. There are good cafes and restaurants in Port Douglas.

[Cavallo]

They only tour we did was in Lombok. Although it was interesting seeing the island scenery - towns, villages, farms - it was a long day. However it's probably the best way to sightsee there unless you can find a private tour.

 

At Geraldton the locals run a hop on hop off shuttle bus for $5. It'd good for getting up to the HMAS Sydney memorial, however the town itself is easy to walk around.

 

In Broome the ship has free shuttles to take you into the town. If you want to go to Cable Beach just catch the local bus. It's very easy.

 

We only had a short stop in Darwin, we departed at 2pm. We were meeting a friend for coffee at Parap markets. The shuttle bus was $20 per person but only ran every hour. We got a taxi and asked the driver to take us on the "scenic" route, through the city and past some landmarks. It cost about $26, and our return trip was about $18 so not much more than using the shuttle. There is a lovely waterfont area a short walk from the dock with lots of cafes.

 

You may want to do a tour from Port Douglas. The scenic train / skyrail combo to Kuranda is good. It leaves from near Cairns and the drive to there is spectacular. The Daintree trips are good too and, of course, there is the Great Barrier Reef. If you don't want to tour then Port Douglas township is just a short walk from the marina where the tenders dock, and walking around the township and to the beach is easy and mostly flat. There are good cafes and restaurants in Port Douglas.

 

Thanks so much, I have copied this and printed it off so I can refer to it. I had looked at the skyrail so will definitely do the combo.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks so much, I have copied this and printed it off so I can refer to it. I had looked at the skyrail so will definitely do the combo.

 

You're welcome. When you go on the skyrail make sure you get off at the two middle station and have a walk around each area. Spectacular bush, and some great views from memory. The scenic train trip is lovely too, you see quite different scenery doing both.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Forgot to mention - if you like lobster they had it on two different nights in the MDR. Yum! I do like the way Princess does lobster.

[Cavallo]

Forgot to mention - if you like lobster they had it on two different nights in the MDR. Yum! I do like the way Princess does lobster.

LOVE Lobster - something else to look forward to:)

[OzKiwiJJ]

If you're in a balcony cabin I recommend having an Ultimate Balcony Dinner one night. It's wonderful, and you can choose lobster or steak (or both) for your main. We chose lobster and got two tails each! Way too much food but delicious. The included wine is dreadful though. We took a nice bottle of Bolly with us and had that with our meal instead.

[Cavallo]

If you're in a balcony cabin I recommend having an Ultimate Balcony Dinner one night. It's wonderful, and you can choose lobster or steak (or both) for your main. We chose lobster and got two tails each! Way too much food but delicious. The included wine is dreadful though. We took a nice bottle of Bolly with us and had that with our meal instead.

Thanks for the recommendation, we have only ever had breakfast on the balcony and this time I had decided to do a balcony dinner so it's

defiantly going to happen now! I had debated about taking wine on board but it looks like a good idea. No point spoiling a good dinner with bad wine.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I had debated about taking wine on board but it looks like a good idea. No point spoiling a good dinner with bad wine.

 

I've heard you can swap the half bottle of champagne included for a $30 (maybe a bit more in AUD) still wine. Might be worth checking that.

 

The champagne really was dreadful. We tried it the next night, had one sip each and tipped it down the sink!