Thinking about the 11-day Mexican Riviera on the Dawn...any thoughts?

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='RASHOPPER2']My Travel Agent Spoke To Princess Today. This Offer Is Only For The People To Whom It Was Sent. It Is Not Transferable. In Order For Them To Give You The Offer, You Must Prove That You Received It (fax It To Them). Hate To Disappoint Everyone, But That Is What I Was Told.[/quote]

...well that basically sucks.:(

[DesrtDrmr]

Hello,
We surely enjoyed your posts from the Sun CFL, and wish you were going to be on our Dawn cruise, just to watch you eat all those lobsters!!! :)
Sailor Bill, we'll be sharing the Dawnwith you! Since you haven't sailed on Princess, I must tell you that on Thanksgiving, they have pumpkin EVERYTHING on the menu from pumpkin soup, to pumpkin squash, to pumpkin ice cream to pumpkin pie and even pumpkin rolls.......we think that it is a real kick to spend Turkey Day with Princess.

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='DesrtDrmr']Hello,
We surely enjoyed your posts from the Sun CFL, and wish you were going to be on our Dawn cruise, just to watch you eat all those lobsters!!! :)
Sailor Bill, we'll be sharing the Dawnwith you! Since you haven't sailed on Princess, I must tell you that on Thanksgiving, they have pumpkin EVERYTHING on the menu from pumpkin soup, to pumpkin squash, to pumpkin ice cream to pumpkin pie and even pumpkin rolls.......we think that it is a real kick to spend Turkey Day with Princess.[/quote]

Thanks DesrtDrmr...you guys have a terrific cruise!

[CastroValley1]

:) Hi- My husband and I sailed from SF last December and loved the trip. It was our first trip to the Mex. Riviera. It's true that the ports aren't the most exciting but the cruise and food were fantastic.(We liked renting a golfcart for a self tour of Catalina Island!) We also liked the no reserved seating dining option so we didn't have to get down to dinner at a certain time. Our memory of a lifetime was seeing hundreds of dolphins leaping out of the water in front to the ship somewhere off the coast of Baja heading to San Diego. We also saw a few whales from a distance (migration time). This cruise had more sealife than we observed on our Alaska cruise in Sept. 05 on the Mercury. The food was beautiful on the Mercury but the food tasted much better on the Dawn Princess. Having a balcony is just great...I liked leaving the doors open for fresh air or sitting and reading on the balcony in solitude. I recommend that you do it. The weather is nice in Mexico in December, not too hot. I'm from the SF Bay Area and like a cooler climate. It's great to not have to take a plane or to cope with the stress of airports. The luggage handling and getting on and off the ship was way better. I'm into non-stressful vacations and you will enjoy the cruise especially with a balcony. Go for it! Bon Voyage.

[ccrain]

CFL,

Sorry for my short blurb last time. I was in the middle of a proposal, then the wind came up and blew five sections of our privacy fence down. So it was out with the FedEx and in with the pick and shovel for a few days.

Anyway, we have done the Mex Riviera twice now. Once on the Sea in 2002 and once on the Dawn last October. 7 days were not enough on the sea and 10 days was pretty good on the Dawn. 11 Days will be great. My review is posted in the members sections and there is an old "Live From the Dawn" thread I started.

You know all about the Sun class. All the pluses and minuses. They remain with the Dawn. The itinerary is totally different from the typical Caribbean cruise. Because of water temps, cooler, and lack of clarity, we concentrated on land stuff last October. Cultural stuff.

But in December, I believe the whales will be in Cabo big time, so that's a real plus. And we've never been to Ixtapa or Acapulco before, so that will be new. Add to that SIX sea days and sailing out under the GGB, well, its a winner. It will be chilly at sea until we get to Cabo, and cooler back from Cabo, but still better than snow.

If the deal from princess was good, the deal they gave TAs was probably better. In fact, I just noticed the price on our cruise dropped and a $100 credit was added on expedia, so I will e our TA and see what can be done. Try cruise compete to see what everyone is offering.

Take the prybar out, pry open the wallet and book it!

See ya on board.

[cruiserforlife]

Thanks ccrain for all the great advice...we should have a decision made my mid-week.

CFL

[cruiserforlife]

Spoke with my TA today,only 2 cabins left on this offer which is now a gty,category BD Caribe.They were able to knock off another $100 and offer me an additional $150 shipboard credit.I put my name on one of the cabins and now I'm just waiting on my wife to get the OK from her job for the time off.

You would think someone who has sailed with Princess over 16 times (wife) would receive an upgrade of some kind...BUT NO!:mad: I think they reserve those only for 1st timers...to get them hooked!;)

[ccrain]

[quote name='cruiserforlife']Spoke with my TA today,only 2 cabins left on this offer which is now a gty,category BD Caribe.They were able to knock off another $100 and offer me an additional $150 shipboard credit.I put my name on one of the cabins and now I'm just waiting on my wife to get the OK from her job for the time off.

You would think someone who has sailed with Princess over 16 times (wife) would receive an upgrade of some kind...BUT NO!:mad: I think they reserve those only for 1st timers...to get them hooked!;)[/QUOTE]

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me! That $150 credit will pay the bar bill for that extra day at sea. Since its a GTY, I'm sure they'll upgrade you. If not, you'll just have to put up with the smaller hole in the balcony. Its not like you're missing out on an upgrade to a mini! That is one goal I have, to do a 10 day in a Sun Class AA mini. Now that would be something...

It would be nice to finally put a name to a face. I've already started a roll call, so I'll be looking forward to seeing over there.

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='ccrain']That sounds like a pretty good deal to me! That $150 credit will pay the bar bill for that extra day at sea. Since its a GTY, I'm sure they'll upgrade you. If not, you'll just have to put up with the smaller hole in the balcony. Its not like you're missing out on an upgrade to a mini! That is one goal I have, to do a 10 day in a Sun Class AA mini. Now that would be something...

It would be nice to finally put a name to a face. I've already started a roll call, so I'll be looking forward to seeing over there.[/quote]

ccrain,

Wifey called me back to say she had been given the green light so it looks like it's on.I will talk to my TA and book it tomorrow.

Will check-in on your roll call now...

CFL

[liv2cruise4ever]

So if I do the math right, you got a balcony G for $1089 and an additional 150 obc. If this is right, I want you TA's number. This is the one I'm looking at also. If you don't mind, can you email me some info on this. Thank you in advance. [EMAIL="jbrandon76@comcast.net"]jbrandon76@comcast.net[/EMAIL]

I want to go on this cruise.........just got back from the 10 dayer on the Dawn and I want 11, with no Catalina or San Diego.:D

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='liv2cruise4ever']So if I do the math right, you got a balcony G for $1089 and an additional 150 obc. If this is right, I want you TA's number. This is the one I'm looking at also. If you don't mind, can you email me some info on this. Thank you in advance. [EMAIL="jbrandon76@comcast.net"]jbrandon76@comcast.net[/EMAIL]

I want to go on this cruise.........just got back from the 10 dayer on the Dawn and I want 11, with no Catalina or San Diego.:D[/quote]

Done.

[Faith77]

Love the idea of no airplane and shuttle bus hassle this year. Since I booked, I've been reading reviews/looking at pictures of the ship. Glad to read that most everybody has enjoyed their cruise on her.
Faith

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='Faith77']Love the idea of no airplane and shuttle bus hassle this year. Since I booked, I've been reading reviews/looking at pictures of the ship. Glad to read that most everybody has enjoyed their cruise on her.
Faith[/quote]

Faith,

If you've never been on a holiday cruise, you'll love it!
My wife and her mom did those exclusively since she was 11 years old.
They decorate the ship up nicely, very festive.

No airports is our main selling feature...!

[Faith77]

Cruiserforlife,

Years ago I was on RCCl's Seranade for 5 nights over Christmas--she's an oldie and probably a gambling ship somewhere is the Carib now. I really lucked out on that trip with the weather--I remember one day coming back to the ship early from a port stop and sharing a snack with some sea gulls on the Lido deck.

Anyway, after reading mostly good things about the Dawn, I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time.

Faith

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='Faith77']Cruiserforlife,

Years ago I was on RCCl's Seranade for 5 nights over Christmas--she's an oldie and probably a gambling ship somewhere is the Carib now. I really lucked out on that trip with the weather--I remember one day coming back to the ship early from a port stop and sharing a snack with some sea gulls on the Lido deck.

Anyway, after reading mostly good things about the Dawn, I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time.

Faith[/quote]

Yes you will...Enjoy!

CFL

[mrscruisequeen]

[quote name='cruiserforlife']Received an offer from Princess yesterday for an 11-night MR cruise departing from San Francisco round-trip on Dec. 1st and thought I'd get some feedback from you all.

We have done the Sun,Sea and the Ocean so we are familar with the layout of the Dawn.We have also done the MR...and while it's not our favorite (I think of the ship as the destination anyway...:rolleyes: ),I really like the fact that it a cruise we can take without the hassle of flying and that Princess is offering free balcony upgrades as well...$1189/pp.Mazatlan,Acapulco,Ixtapa (Zihuatanejo),Puerto Vallarta,& Cabo San Lucas.

It is 8 months away...and I am very tempted to book it.That is plenty of time to anticipate the cruise :D ...and plenty of time to try to get into shape as well.;) Hurricane season should be over by then as well.

So what do you guys think...should we pull the trigger...?

Thanks,

CFL[/quote]

I would go for it!!

We did this cruise last Dec. on the Dawn and loved it. We also did it on the Sapphire when she was new in Nov. '04 out of SF.

I am glad to see that they have dropped San Diego and Catalina. They are nice ports, but will be nice to see something different, as we'll probably go next Jan. or Feb.

Since we live only 2 1/2 hours from San Francisco, its so easy!!

However, do keep a check on the prices to see if they lower them. Sometimes, at that time of year, you can get great rates, although it seems like you have a great deal already.

If you need parking, here is the info. Great, safe indoor parking. Just a 3 minute walk to the pier. ( yes, really, a 3 minute walk!!)

ACE Parking Garage
55 Francisco St.
San Francisco

Phone # 415-398-0208


We usually get there around 10:30 -11:00 am and are on board at noon.

Did you know that you can "self disembark" now. If you can carry all of your own luggage off yourself, you don't put it out at night. You will be the first called to get off the ship. Great if you're driving. We were actually on the road by 8:30 am or so !!

A great place to eat in Mazatlan is called Panama....excellent food, nice ambiance, very clean, GREAT FLAN !! They were all decorated for Xmas and it looked beautiful! :D

In downtown Mazatlan, "golden zone" look for the McDonald's on a corner, turn left and walk about 2 short blocks and you will see it on the corner, on the left side of the street. Can't wait to go back there!!

Jeanne aka....mrscruisequeen

[cruiserforlife]

Jeanne,

Thanks for the parking info.My wife wants to take a limo back and forth to the port:eek: but I might opt for a family member to drive us instead to maybe save some $$$...we'll see.

I did shop Princess's price and managed to save $100/pp on the fare and I received an additional $150 shipboard credit so I think we did ok.So we are now booked and anticipating our cruise in less than 8 months.

The "no flying" part is what sold me...plus the free balcony upgrade made it too hard to resist.:D

Thank you for the tip on the self disembarking...I didn't know that but would have probably figured it out.Sure wouldn't want to make the mistake of leaving your luggage out...only to have to try to dig it out later!:eek:

Then again...I've never just stepped on a ship before without first getting off a plane.;)

CFL

[mrscruisequeen]

[quote name='cruiserforlife']Jeanne,

Thanks for the parking info.My wife wants to take a limo back and forth to the port:eek: but I might opt for a family member to drive us instead to maybe save some $$$...we'll see.

I did shop Princess's price and managed to save $100/pp on the fare and I received an additional $150 shipboard credit so I think we did ok.So we are now booked and anticipating our cruise in less than 8 months.

The "no flying" part is what sold me...plus the free balcony upgrade made it too hard to resist.:D

Thank you for the tip on the self disembarking...I didn't know that but would have probably figured it out.Sure wouldn't want to make the mistake of leaving your luggage out...only to have to try to dig it out later!:eek:

Then again...I've never just stepped on a ship before without first getting off a plane.;)

CFL[/quote]

Forgot to tell you that parking for the cruise passengers @ 55 Francisco is $12 / day. Not bad for SF !!

Where is Marina, Ca ? I was thinking it was down south. I was born in SF and lived as a adult for 37 years in the bay area, but haven't heard of Marina.

When I find out where it is, I'll probably go...DUH !!:rolleyes:

Jeanne

[mrscruisequeen]

[quote name='cruiserforlife']Jeanne,

Thanks for the parking info.My wife wants to take a limo back and forth to the port:eek: but I might opt for a family member to drive us instead to maybe save some $$$...we'll see.

I did shop Princess's price and managed to save $100/pp on the fare and I received an additional $150 shipboard credit so I think we did ok.So we are now booked and anticipating our cruise in less than 8 months.

The "no flying" part is what sold me...plus the free balcony upgrade made it too hard to resist.:D

Thank you for the tip on the self disembarking...I didn't know that but would have probably figured it out.Sure wouldn't want to make the mistake of leaving your luggage out...only to have to try to dig it out later!:eek:

Then again...I've never just stepped on a ship before without first getting off a plane.;)

CFL[/quote]

Boy, I just looked up where Marina is and did I feel stupid. I have only been there about 1000 times !! My best friend lives in Aromas and my grandson is at DLI in Monterey.
Losing my mind in my old age...need a cruise to regain some brain cells:p

Jeanne

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='mrscruisequeen']Boy, I just looked up where Marina is and did I feel stupid. I have only been there about 1000 times !! My best friend lives in Aromas and my grandson is at DLI in Monterey.
Losing my mind in my old age...need a cruise to regain some brain cells:p

Jeanne[/quote]

No problem...I actually just changed it a few days ago.I have lived in Monterey since 1970 and we recently purchased a home in Marina just over a year ago.Not quite as much sun as Monterey but still very close to the coastline.Pretty mild weather year-round.

Occasionally we even get cruiseships dock in the Monterey Bay...

[Nancyquilts]

Is there a dock now? We had to tender in.

[ccrain]

CFL,

I think I've mentioned it before, but I was born and mainly reared in Salinas. Alisal High class of '75. Fished for salmon on a salmon boat out of Moss Landing, went to Hartnell Junior College and Cal-Poly SLO.

I was back in the area in 2005 and was amazed at a: the price of housing, b: the tax rate and c: the population boom. The lettuce fields I used to drive by on the way to work are now houses, and highly priced ones as well.

Marina, like Seaside, in the 70's was basically a backwash. Now I hear all of the coast north from Monterey is pretty pricey.

Carmel Valley was the pricey place when I was running around back then.

The last I heard, Monterey didn't have a dock, but they should build one. It would be a great stopping place on a west coast cruise.

[cruiserforlife]

Hey guys,

Yes...this is a very pricey area to live in.Still trying to figure out how we do it?:p

No dock here in Monterey,tendering in is the only way to get here currently and sometimes the rough water makes that impossible.I can see them building one here though,can't see that getting past the activists.I always though it'd be cool if we were on a cruise that stopped in Monterey...we could jump off the ship and go home to kiss the cats,pay some bills and wash some clothes..!

ccrain,you and I must be the same age then since I too graduated from Monterey High in 1975.

[ccrain]

[quote name='cruiserforlife']
ccrain,you and I must be the same age then since I too graduated from Monterey High in 1975.[/QUOTE]

That would be 38 and holding, right?

[cruiserforlife]

[quote name='ccrain']That would be 38 and holding, right?[/quote]

That's what I come up with too:o ...we must both have learned the same math.