Good news, bad news

[dakrewser]

WE didn't have any cruises booked for this year but were talking about doing a land vacation in Paris in the spring. Well, I was in shock over the airfare prices to Charles DeGaulle airport and this cruise offer popped into my inbox. Mexican Riviera cruise over my wife's birthday - seemed like a winner.

 

Plus, it was 11-nights and was also R/T San Francisco - so no need to go to an airport at all!

 

Of course, that means its not HAL.

 

So we're going to be trying Princess for the first time, the Dawn Princess.

 

Anyone with helpful hints about HAL's sister line - and especially about the DP - please chime in!

[cruznon]

Darkrewer,

We're taking the Golden Princess 10-day from San Francisco(the Dawn princess leaves the same day for their 11-day cruise)--what day are you sailing? We're leaving April 12.

 

Congrats on the unexpected cruise. What a nice birthday present!

[hammybee]

Tell me about it. Airfare, for this summer is a killer, and I suspect some cruise line air will be competitive, in many cases

 

Princess is the only middle market I have yet to sail and I don't know why this is. Your sailing has a nice intinerary. Good job on the birthday gift. I am looking forward to your compare/contrast.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Dave, what a nice Birthday gift for your wife. Anytime you can limit you travel time to the pier is a good thing. I will look forward to hearing your comparison.

[Hollyhawk]

Dave I have noticed that flights to Europe are much less expensive in the winter.....so maybe sping time on the seas and Christmas in Paris?

[Hollyhawk]

Dave I have noticed that flights to Europe are much less expensive in the winter.....so maybe sping time on the seas and Christmas in Paris?

[MrsMuir]

Dave, I fell in love with ships on the original Love Boat, the Pacific Princess, and her sister, Island Princess. My best friend and I were happy in a modest cabin because we were having the time of our lives, and we had no real comparisons as to cruise lines. However, my older sister, who is even more spoiled than I, has cruised on Princess many times and has two cruises planned for this year (one is on the Grand Princess; don't know the other ship). She's been on Oceania's Regatta but prefers Princess. From the Princess website, which I perused just last night, it seems that the accomodations are a bit smaller. But what the hey -- enjoy the Dawn Princess. Richard and I will probably be on a Princess cruise eventually because we want to sail with my sister and her husband. I think (hope) that this line has its own traditions which were forged in the days of her British registry. Though I love HAL, I still dream of crossing The Pond on a Cunarder, and it was on Princess that I caught the cruising bug. I really enjoy your thoughtful posts!

 

Mrs Muir (Linda)

[dakrewser]

Thanks guys.

 

cruznon: we leave on March 21, back on April Fool's Day!

 

hammybee: What's surprising is that airfare to london is only half that to Paris!

 

Lisa: I hhave liked the pictures I've seen of the DP so far...

 

Hollyhawk: We've done Europe in the winter two of the past three years - it's nice, but your luggage ends up weighing twice as much!

 

MrsMuir: I've been thinking about a trans-pond on a Queen for next year...

[innlady1]

WE didn't have any cruises booked for this year but were talking about doing a land vacation in Paris in the spring. Well, I was in shock over the airfare prices to Charles DeGaulle airport and this cruise offer popped into my inbox. Mexican Riviera cruise over my wife's birthday - seemed like a winner.

 

Plus, it was 11-nights and was also R/T San Francisco - so no need to go to an airport at all!

 

Of course, that means its not HAL.

 

So we're going to be trying Princess for the first time, the Dawn Princess.

 

Anyone with helpful hints about HAL's sister line - and especially about the DP - please chime in!

 

We're novices to cruising but our first experience was a year ago on the Caribbean Princess. We loved it so much that we caught the bug, and are doing the Noordam on 2/7!

 

Our friend who is a travel agent and with whom we travel wanted to do the Noordam this time as he was on it at their stop in Boston before its maiden voyage. So we will see how the two compare. I will let you know!

 

I'm sure you will enjoy Princess...we don't have a single complaint.

 

We did the Anytime Dining which we really enjoyed. We ate most evenings in the Palms Dining Room....same table, same waiter. So it was akin to traditional dining. But we could adjust the time to what we happened to be doing that day when the ship was in port. I thought that was a real plus. And, as I said in another thread, we never had to wait.

 

What a wonderful birthday gift for your wife. She's a lucky woman! ;)

[berylde]

We were on Dawn's "sister" ship , Sun Princess, for an 11 day cruise 3 years ago. We had a mini-suite, the service was good and we liked the fact that it was a smaller ship

 

We think you will like the Dawn

[happy cruzer]

No airfare makes it very hard to resist.

 

We can cruise out of Galveston or New Orleans with no airfare. We have taken 2 cruises on a whim because of the savings and we enjoyed them all. We sailed RCI and Celebrity that way. Next up the Grand Princess. For us it has been a way to try the different lines at a reasonable cost. Sure wish HAL would come to us. I guess next one that we will try will probably Carnival. The Conquest gets great reviews out of Galveston.

 

I hope you enjoy your Princess cruise.

[Guienevere_Arianette]

WE didn't have any cruises booked for this year but were talking about doing a land vacation in Paris in the spring. Well, I was in shock over the airfare prices to Charles DeGaulle airport and this cruise offer popped into my inbox. Mexican Riviera cruise over my wife's birthday - seemed like a winner.

 

quote]

 

But will your wife be disappointed? I mean, the Mexican Riviera is hardly Paris :p I know women can be picky!

 

I know what you mean about airfare, too; for the last three summers, we take land vacations in England/Scotland; actually, last summer we added on Amsterdam. Our airfare, from Amarillo, TX to London, is always under 700 pp RT; now I'm looking at about 1200 pp, and that's if the prices don't go up.

 

We talked about trading in our trip this summer (fly into Rome for a few days, cruise the Prinsendam out of Rome for 14 days and debark in Amsterdam, stay in A-dam a few days, then finish off in London for a few days) for a cheaper one; for the price of this three week vacation, we could take 13 cheap cruises or 5 luxury cruises for the year! But our priority really is exploring Europe, and we really want to cruise the Prinsendam, so we're going for it.

 

I do want to take another short cruise before June; maybe a 4 nighter to Mexico. But again, airfare: the closest port to us is Galveston, which is still an 11 hour drive or airfare/shuttle fare, which is astronomical!

 

Ah, the pains of travel ...

[LILynn]

I was on the Grand Princess last year - my first Princess cruise and I would have to say my favorite one so far. The level of service was wonderful and the ship was beautiful.

 

I am sure that you will love Princess.

 

I just booked my first HAL cruise for September on the Prinsendam and am really looking forward to it.

 

Lynn

[dakrewser]

We talked about trading in our trip this summer (fly into Rome for a few days, cruise the Prinsendam out of Rome for 14 days and debark in Amsterdam, stay in A-dam a few days, then finish off in London for a few days) for a cheaper one; for the price of this three week vacation, we could take 13 cheap cruises or 5 luxury cruises for the year! But our priority really is exploring Europe, and we really want to cruise the Prinsendam, so we're going for it.

 

Yep, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go for the trip you really want. We did 16 nights on the Prinsendam last summer with an additional 5 nights in Amsterdam - had a fantastic time. Amsterdam is a great city - not quite Paris, but certainly better than Rome - a vibrant, exciting city. Have a great time!

[whogo]

Taxes are way up on flights to the UK starting 2/6/07, doubling to £40 each way or £80 first class each way.

[arzz]

My experience on the Grand Princess a few years ago was positive (though I really do like HAL better) -- the Princess ships are SO large with SO many people you never seem to meet the same people twice -- especially with anytime dining. They constantly scheduled public events for the Atrium which could really not hold all that attended -- these events were crowded, with people crushing to get to where they could see.....

 

The cruise experience, however, was OK to good and the food was fine -- cabins are more size comparable to Vista class cabins with less storage and smaller bathrooms -- I do remember being intimate with the walls in the bathroom.

 

I would, however, be wary of those "movies under the stars" up on the top deck at night -- I will be curious as to whether you think the outdoor films are an instrusion on the quiet nights at sea or an enjoyable experience.

[NoNoNanette]

I think that you'll be pleased with the whole Princess experience. Both the food and the service were "up there" with HAL. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise Princess again, but would pick a smaller ship than the Grand.

 

Have fun, baby! :)

[Getty]

:o We were on the Dawn 3 years ago to Alaska. We did like the ship and the food,and having the buffet open in the evenings. Cabin was smaller, oceanview. Of course it is a larger ship and that means there are crowds and lines at some shows and special events.Boarding and exiting extremely crowded. You did not wait in your cabins until called , just crowds in the passageways. I like HAL better,personal preferance. I am not a negative type person so I am not going to knock Princess. I like to cruise and know you do too. See no reason why you would not like the cruise. Enjoy. Every ship is different,good points and not so good. Smooth sailing.;)

[OldCodger73]

There's a double whammy this year. Besides high airfares, the pound and euro are killing the value of the dollar and almost making it look like a third world currency.

[traveller123]

I was in the Dawn Princess for a short repositioning cruise last May. I was upgraded to a mini-suite, which was nice of Princess. The mini-suite was on the small size, but did consist of a living room and separate bedroom. The bathroom was large with a separate jetted tub. The bed was horrendous... I was almost tempted to sleep on the sofa bed, although it probably wasn't much better. The balcony was small, but twice the size of regular balconies on that ship. The room was quite worn and not very clean. In fact, the whole ship needed a good cleaning. It was very crowded and very loud... something to do with all the children running up and down the marble staircases in the atrium. The food was adequate, but overall nothing to write home about. The service from the staff was very good.

 

Overall, I really didn't like the ship at all. However, I was comparing it to HAL's Rotterdam... so not really a fair comparison. If that had been my very first cruise, then maybe I would have had a more positive outlook. I certainly would consider travelling on a Princess ship in the future if the only ship available for the itinerary I wanted was Princess. Otherwise, I'll stick to HAL for the time being.

[bobpatj]

We will be boarding a sister ship, Sea Princess, on Jan. 20th. This will be our first experience with Princess. We know that the cabin will be smaller, there will be no fresh squeezed OJ, at breakfast, and other things will be missing that we love about HAL, but it's a great itinerary. We hope to have a positive experience.:)

[fb0075]

DAK,

 

Im afraid your die hard loyalty would be severly put to the test on any of the older Princess ships!

I would research alot before confirming the DAWN--it is not like our S-Class--

FRANK

[dakrewser]

DAK,

 

Im afraid your die hard loyalty would be severly put to the test on any of the older Princess ships!

I would research alot before confirming the DAWN--it is not like our S-Class--

FRANK

 

And I'm not expecting that. Based on it's size, it's more similar to a Vista-class ship. The cabin we booked (an AC mid-ship on Baja deck) appears to fall somewhere between an SS and a VA, but I'm ready for that.

 

Mostly, I think, it'll be the intangibles that make the difference - service levels, for example. Already I'm being told that a) there's no unlimited or "by-the-bag" laundry pkg, and b) there's no WIFI hotspots outside of the internet cafe. Negatives, but not deal-breakers...

[pompey86]

hi Dakrewser, I noticed you remarked about the cheaper airfares to London,compared to Paris, have you thought about taking the Euro train from London to Paris, i believe the cost is quite reasonable and that there is quite a frequent service, just a thought, audrey.:)

[dakrewser]

hi Dakrewser, I noticed you remarked about the cheaper airfares to London,compared to Paris, have you thought about taking the Euro train from London to Paris, i believe the cost is quite reasonable and that there is quite a frequent service, just a thought, audrey.:)

 

We actually did consider that, Audrey, thanks. But Airfare +train +6 nights in a hotel in Paris would still cost 25% more than 11 nights in a mini-suite on the Dawn. And the food's included on the ship!

 

It was a really easy decision to make...