Dawn Princess - Alaska - Sep 9 thru Sep 16, 2006

[MilliesMom]

We just got back from the Dawn Princess. We did a rountrip from Seattle stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Had a fantastic time and the ship was really nice. Thought I would share some of my thoughts on the cruise: (giving pros and cons -- trying to be objective in my review)

 

Boarding/Parking: There is a nice parking lot right across from the terminal. You can do advance parking reservations on-line so you will be guaranteed a spot. We did not use the parking lot as we flew in from out of town. Our friends did use the parking and it worked out great for them.

 

We got to the terminal at 11:15 am and were aboard the ship by 11:45 am at the latest. They were quick and efficient at doing the paperwork and getting us processed thru. There was a tiny wait going thru the security area as they xray bags, purses etc before boarding the ship.

 

The Princess rep at the hotel told us that the buses arrive from the hotels and the airport around 12:30 to 1 and recommended that we arrive around 11:30 if we wanted to avoid longer lines.

 

NOTE: It is quite a long walk from the terminal to the ship. The walk area is totally covered and is ramps not steps. If someone has problems walking tho it could be a bit of an issue.

 

CABIN: We were in Cabin B512 which is a balcony cabin. Bathroom was small but not a problem. Water pressure GREAT and we definitely had HOT water immediately. Definitely enough closet space too for us and more than enough hangars to hang all of our things. Lots of shelve space too in the closet.

 

Liked the safe in the closet too that used a number combination rather than having to use a card with magnetic strip.

 

Raymond, our cabin steward, was wonderful. He put an egg crate topper on our mattress, switch out all the down/feather items (I'm allergic). We thought it was odd that he hadn't given us an ice bucket, so we talked to him the next day. Turns out that it is an insulated bucket and they keep it in the refrigerator!!!!! LOL (we hadn't even looked in the refrigerator).

 

We had a balcony cabin. Was very nice even if small, perfect for the two of us to be there enjoying the view. They replaced the white plastic chairs with really nice blue mesh ones a few days before the end of the cruise.

 

Easy to adjust the temperature in the cabin too to our needs/wants. Hairdryer was good and right by the desk/vanity by the bed.

There are two outlets in the room -- one by the hairdryer, one by the little wall shelf by the bathroom. We didn't need the power strip that we had packed.

 

Complaint: They use a very strong disinfectant in the cabins. The cabin stewards wore face masks when using it. It really triggered my allergies and asthma. Very glad we had the balcony room to "air out" the cabin. I spoke to Raymond about the problem. He assured me that he could switch products to clean our room. So no problems after the first day in our cabin.

 

Friends had a handicap accessible cabin ocean view (partially obstructed view). Their cabin was HUGE including the bathroom. She is in a wheelchair and the cabin was perfect for her. They were in Cabin D324. She loved the higher vanity area as her wheelchair could fit under it as she fixed her hair etc. Shower area had drains around it, so water didn't get all over the bathroom. Only complaint was that the toilet should of been positioned a bit higher.

 

FOOD: The first day after boarding there was a huge line at the buffet. They had both sides open, but lots of hungry people. The lines went out past the elevators but moved fairly quickly.

 

The food was GREAT in the dining room. We had traditional seating and sat at a table for 10. What wonderful tablemates we had. Everyone got along and enjoyed each others company. So many choices during the week for food. We had lobster tails, beef wellington, escargot, talapia, salmon, steak, lamb, veal, just to name a few of the choices for dinner. The wait staff was AWESOME. I have food allergies and let them know the first night. They got the head waiter to talk to me. Each night he would give me the menu for the next day and have to choose what I wanted. Then he would check with the chef to be sure I was OK eating it. Constantine (head waiter) told me that they would make it special for me IF there was an item in the recipe that I was allergic too. Fortunately I had no problems finding wonderful choices/foods to eat. They really went above and beyond for me with my allergies.

 

The food in the buffet was good, desserts were GREAT. We really liked eating in the dining room better than the buffet and did that most days. I had heard so much about the wonderful chocolate chip cookies in the buffet and was disappointed that they didn't put them out until after 11 pm each night. Tried them one night and YES, they were very good. We could order them any time off room service menu (we never did room service). Cookies on the buffet line would be a nice addition and I did put that on my comment card.

 

LaScala (Pizza) ... very good pizza. You waited to be seated, then were given a menu. They had pizza, calzones, lasagna and 2 desserts. Thin crust pizza which was great.

 

PORTS: Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Victoria, Seattle

 

Seattle is a beautiful city and I highly recommend arriving the day early if possible. We stayed at the Westin and altho a bit more in cost was definitely worth it. We were centrally located in town and were within walking distance of Pikes Place Market and the Seattle Center. The monorail had a fire this summer so is not up and running yet except for testing purposes.

 

Juneau ... we docked so did not have to tender in. Had tickets for the Mount Roberts tram and it was about 2 blocks from the ship to board the tram. I have a fear of heights so it took quite a bit for me to do the tram. It goes up over 1800 feet. I was amazed at how smooth the ride was and the views are exceptional. Your ticket is good for unlimited use of the tram so you can go up as often as you would like during the day. Shopping was nice ... so many shops. I really enjoyed the art gallery type shops. As with all of the ports, lots of souvenirs shops around. Alaska T-shirt company in Juneau and SKagway had the best deals (all items 50% off as it was end of season ... that included everything in the store. We got batteries and crackers for 50% off there along with a few tees for gifts).

 

Skagway ... My husband and friends did the White Pass Railway. I have asthma and there are some fumes from the diesel engine. Since I could not be guaranteed (less chance of fumes) a center car I opted out and got my money back. NOTE: Most people would not be aware of the fumes, I'm super sensitive. The loading area for Princess ships is right across the walk area from the ship. Go out about 30 minutes early as the lines are long to get off the ship and you don't want to miss the train. They did the 3 1/2 hour trip to the summit. Going up the Left side has the best views. Then when you get to the top everyone is suppose to switch sides as they switch the engines from the front to the back of the train (train doesn't turn around). So then people who were on the right side going on, now will be on the view side coming down the mountain. Unfortunately my husband went to the restroom at the switch and ended up on the same side of the train. He had to stand much of the time to see the views/get photos. He should of spoke up but didn't. So please if you are taking the train please be considerate of your fellow passengers and truly switch sides so that all can enjoy the awesome views. He enjoyed the train ride very much and would definitely do it again. Highly recommended it.

 

While they were on the train, I walked into town. I really enjoyed my time there. I went thru so many shops and saw many art gallery type of stores too. The carved antlers are so wonderful. I got to talk to many artists too. One statue took the artist 7 months to carve ... WOW. Town sidewalks are made of planks ... be careful of heights above the roadway as the sidewalks are not even with the street.

 

Ketchikan: Only had about 4 hours there. Town was right there when we docked, so easily accessible. We walked thru much of the town. No excursions there for us. Wish we had had more time there, but enjoyed our visit.

 

Tracy Arm: Cruise day for us. We had been delayed the night before in Skagway for some minor maintenance. Worked to our advantage as we got to Tracy Arm later in the day than planned. Sun Princess that day got there in the morning and the fog was at the water and lots of ice so they turned away. The sun was out full force for us and we went many miles into the arm cruising over 2 hours in before turning around because of the ice. Didn't see the glacier at the end, but the beauty we saw was awesome. We bundled up with layers of clothes, jackets, hats, gloves etc and still were cold. BUT it was so worth it to see. They told us that the waterfalls we saw were so cold that if you stuck your hand in it that your hand would be flash frozen!!!!! We stood out on the bow of the ship on deck 10 (there is an unmarked door just beyond the cabins that you walk thru). Same on deck 11. A number of people on the bow, but we all had good view points.

 

Victoria: We docked at 7:30 pm and had to be back on ship by 11:30 pm. Town was about 10 minutes by car away. Since we had to be up early the next morning to head home and because we had been to Victoria before .. we opted to stay on the ship. Wish we had had a full day in Victoria. The town, the gardens, the shops are fantastic.

 

Disembarking: We arrived back in Seattle by 7:15 am on Saturday and were off the ship by 8:30 am. It was quick, easy, and effeciently handled. Suitcases were separated by tag color and easy to find. Cabs, chartered buses, parking area were right outside the terminal. Remember if you exit the terminal you cannot come back in to use restrooms etc. We got a cab immediately and were at our hotel (Doubletree Suites at the Southcenter Parkway) by 9:15 am.

 

Entertainment on Board: Really enjoyed the shows. They had quite a few variety shows in the main theatre and we enjoyed them very much.

 

Main Theatre: The problem is that the theatre is all steps to enter it. Our friend was in a wheelchair and had to sit at the top of the area but her husband had to sit down below. Very awkward and inconvenient. She said many came in with wheelchairs had to leave as there was no more room for them. Also the theatre is small and not every one could get seats for the shows. So disappointing for many.

 

Vista Lounge: Extremely well done lounge/theatre. Ramps and moveable chairs plus long sofa areas. Easily accessible for someone in a wheelchair, walker etc.

 

Wheelhouse Lounge: Spent many evenings there listening to a wide variety of music. There is a dance floor too. Some really good entertainers there.

 

SHOPS: Shops were nice and had many choices. Some good prices, some high. Hubby couldn't find his cufflinks for his tux, so we ended up running up to the shop to buy a pair. They had a display of them and he found a set he liked. Didn't see a price on them (turns out it was under the card the link were hooked to in the box). What a shock to have them ring up $90 for the set .... YIKES about double what we expected. It was an emergency so we got them. Of course after we got home, we found the ones we packed (yes we packed them) in a zippered pocket of the suitcase ... LOL

 

CONCLUSION: We had a wonderful cruise. Couldn't of picked a better week with all the sunshine. Only one night of somewhat rough waters, but my husband and I never got seasick. Leaving from Seattle was great. Sea-Tac airport, you definitely need to arrive early at. The security lines were unbelieveable. It took us about an hour to get thru them. But once thru there are shops and restaurants plus lots of seating areas.

 

The Dawn Princess is in good condition and has been well maintained. We truly enjoyed the cruise and would recommend it.

 

Our friends celebrated their anniversary aboard the ship. Princess decorated their door with balloons and that night at dinner sang to them and gave them a decorated special cake. Cake is about 2 servings and was beautiful. No charge for the balloons or cake. Waiter said they only charge if you want a cake for the whole table. Very, very nice.

 

If anyone has questions about the ship etc, please don't hesitate to ask. I will try to answer for you.

[MilliesMom]

Wanted to add:

 

The top 2 rooms of the main theatre are reserved for people with problems walking. It does require going down 1 step or two to get to the rows.

 

Elevators: There are 6 elevators on the ship plus 3 in the atrium (they go from 5 to 8 only). The elevators have room for wheelchair or scooter plus a few passengers. Elevators come pretty quickly except during peak times (meals, shows). Our friends had to wait for elevators a few times because the ones that stopped were too full for them to enter with the wheelchair ... but overall not bad.

[MilliesMom]

If you decide to go on the White Pass Railway to the Summit in Skagway, let the excursion desk know as soon as possible that you will have a wheelchair/walker/scooter. They have trains cars they will add in with hydraulic lifts to bring you from the street level up to the train car.

[MilliesMom]

If you decide to go on the White Pass Railway to the Summit in Skagway, let the excursion desk know as soon as possible that you will have a wheelchair/walker/scooter. They have trains cars they will add in with hydraulic lifts to bring you from the street level up to the train car.

[tlm]

We were on the Norweigan Sun the same week and stopped at the same ports. I have severe asthma, COPD and am on oxygen. I can only walk short distances so I ride a scooter. We had a lovely suite on the back of the ship which was large enough to store the scooter

 

We did the White Pass Railway and I experienced no problem with the fumes. Like yourself, I'm highly sensitive to different smells. Had no problem getting my scooter on the train with the lift. We were on the 8:00am train and at the top of the Summit, it did a circle to come back down. We didn't have to change seats.

 

In Juneau, we went on a whale watching boat which was fantastic. I didn't take my scooter, just walked slowly, but there wouldn't have been a problem if I had brought it .

 

When we did Tracy Arm, we were fortunate to get to the glacier (see my pictures).

 

This was my fifth cruise (the first with a scooter and oxygen) and it was the most memorable.

 

Toni

[MilliesMom]

Tlm ..

 

Great photos!!!! Glad you got to see the glacier. We cruised over 2 hours into the arm, but the ice just got too bad for them to go any further. We felt fortunate to get as far as we did as earlier that the day the Sun Princess couldn't get into the arm at all because of the fog and ice.

 

I had read on the Alaska board about the fumes on the train. My asthma/allergies are scent sensitive so I was concerned. Princess was using so truly high potency disinfectants in the cabin the day we boarded and I had problems that day. As a result didn't feel that I could take a chance on the train as there was no way to get off if needed. No regrets that I didn't go. My husband went and loved it. He said that the only time he could smell the fumes was in the tunnel. I'm sure for most people it is not an issue. The train he was on at noon switched engine positions at the top so the back became the front of the train. It was a 4 hour trip.

[willieg]

Thanks for the review. How is the Pike Place Market for someone in a wheelchair? Are there elevators?

[MilliesMom]

Thanks for the review. How is the Pike Place Market for someone in a wheelchair? Are there elevators?

 

If you decide to walk to the market, it is down a very, very steep hill. It is also a very crowded area with lots going on. Much on the market is on the flat with slopes/ramps going down (not too steep). I remember seeing stairs to another level but not sure about an elevator.

 

They have a website:

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=true

 

Also here is contact information for the market too:

 

For more information, please write or call the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority (PDA) at:

 

Pike Place Market PDA

85 Pike Street, Room 500

Seattle, WA 98101

 

Phone: (206) 682-7453

Fax: (206) 625-0646

 

Email: info@pikeplacemarket.org