Dawn/Sydney to Sydney..no anytime dining

[jcmh]

We are taking a cruise next February on the Dawn Princess from Sydney touring New Zealand. The Dawn offers anytime dining on their other cruises. Does anyone know why it is not offered on this cruise? Those who have done the Australian/New Zealand cruise...what has been your preference early or late seating and why. Thanks

[Toto2Kansas]

When ships like the Sun and Dawn are relocated to Australia, there are many things that change. Including the onboard charges being calulated in Australian Dollars rather than in U.S. Dollars.

 

From what I have read about the Sun after it's relocation, they added more 3rd and 4th passenger berths to increase passenger load. The diningrooms can not hold all of the passengers so some are not assigned a table so the buffet or alternate ($) restaurants are their only choices. Also, I remember reading where there are more charges for things we are used to being included in the cruise fare. If memory serves me correctly, the pizza restaurant is not going to be free and there was a charge for room service. Please, if I am incorrect here at what I read, someone set this one straight.

Doesn't sound pretty to me at all.

[jcmh]

Yikes! Doesn't sound pretty to me either. Would appreciate any additional info from people who have been on this cruise.

[Toto2Kansas]

That's going to be kind of difficult as right now the Dawn is still sailing from the U.S. I can't remember the date it moves down to AU, but hopefully someone else can help out with that info.

[phillipahain]

The Sun and The Dawn might be sailing under "princess banner" but they do not operate in any way the same as their other ships especially when under the control of P and O Australia

 

Avoid like the plague

[Toto2Kansas]

The Sun and The Dawn might be sailing under "princess banner" but they do not operate in any way the same as their other ships especially when under the control of P and O Australia

 

Avoid like the plague

 

I read a bit of the reports that are coming back from the Sun since she went 'down under' and that was the impression I also got from them. Nothing like when she sailed strictly for Princess out of the U.S. Such a shame they are changing these ships and their inner workings so much, I fear if they ever come back to us, we will barely be able to recognize them, especially with the extra passenger load onboard and the strict dining schedules. :mad: :mad:

[phillipahain]

Many of the staterooms on Sun and Dawn were already tiny and almost impossible unless set up a 2 single beds ( you had to clamber over corners of the bed or furniture if they set them up as double/queen )

 

To have now made more of them into 3 or 4 berth makes the mind boggle

 

Even under original Princess they were never a favourite or well apportioned ship

 

Princess refuse to and are incapable of running Anytime Dining on their R Class ships ( Tahitian,Pacific,etc ) so it comes as no surprise they cant manage it on Sun and Dawn

[Toto2Kansas]

I know that our very last balcony cabin was on the Dawn Princess. We spent 10 days with just the two of us in there. Ended up having them split the beds into twins so we could get around the room. :(

I agree, they aren't very big and I can not imagine stuffing 4 adults or even two adults and two children into them. Talk about tight spaces?

 

From that last balcony cabin onward, the DH promised no more balcony staterooms. And he has kept his word. (whatever you do, do NOT tell him that the newer ships the balcony rooms are a bit larger. We would NOT want him to find that out at this stage in the game :))

[rkmw]

We are taking a cruise next February on the Dawn Princess from Sydney touring New Zealand. The Dawn offers anytime dining on their other cruises. Does anyone know why it is not offered on this cruise? Those who have done the Australian/New Zealand cruise...what has been your preference early or late seating and why. Thanks

 

hi ,i'm an aussie and we sailed on the sun princess at christmas time to noumea and the ship was full, there must have been 750 kids on board and a total well over 2,000 pass

 

it was our first time on a princess cruise so we thought we would get a balcony cabin, we went thru a T/A and they put us on 11 deck aft and we copped all the noise from the main deck which wasnt very nice

 

with the balcony cabin it was very small, one pass commented he could sit on the toilet and clean his teeth, thats how small the bathroom was

 

they do not have anytime dining, 1st and 2nd sittings in the restuarant at 6pm and 8pm and the horizon court which is open 24 hours

 

we went to new zealand in february on the sun princess and that was a bit of a distaster, because of the weather we skipped wellington and christchurch and we arrived in sydney 8 hours late, there was a lot of pass not very happy because if they did not book their air thru princess they had to rebook their own flights and it cost them plenty, maybe the travel insurance covered it but they had to pay it up front

 

after being on the sun princess twice we are not impressed with them, we are hoping that the dawn princess is a better ship

[Toto2Kansas]

after being on the sun princess twice we are not impressed with them, we are hoping that the dawn princess is a better ship

 

From what we have found out, these ships are barely recognizeable from what they were when they sailed for princess here in the U.S.

 

Trying to break this to you gently, but the Dawn and the Sun are both sisters (close to twins) and I doubt there will be much difference in them once they get to AU and they pull their magic and add extra berths and take out some of the extras we have grown to love about those ships here. The Sun has always been our favorite ship, but it seems we would not like it anymore, from what I have read. :(

[bdjam]

Princess refuse to and are incapable of running Anytime Dining on their R Class ships ( Tahitian,Pacific,etc ) so it comes as no surprise they cant manage it on Sun and Dawn

:confused: That's because these ships have only one dining room and one galley. I would imagine the reason they've taken it from Sun (and Dawn in the future) is because of the increased passenger load - having varied seating times would be pretty chaotic.

The Australian market must not mind high density ships - I do agree that the superior experience on the Sun Class ships will be ruined by the addtional passenger load. Interesting they are going to use both these ships for around the world cruises from Australia.

[Toto2Kansas]

:confused: That's because these ships have only one dining room and one galley. I would imagine the reason they've taken it from Sun (and Dawn in the future) is because of the increased passenger load - having varied seating times would be pretty chaotic.

 

.

 

But wouldn't them leaving one diningroom as an anytime diningroom allow them to be able to seat ALL the passengers onboard, instead of just some of them, and the others be destined for buffet food for the entire sailing?

 

If you have two diningrooms, and they hold only 1600 passengers for two seating, and the ship holds 2000, using the anytime diningroom would actually care for more passengers as they could reseat the same table several times in the evening. At least I would think it would.

[rkmw]

another thing i noticed on the sun princess which may not mean much to some people, is they have only got 12 plastic tables and 4 plastic chairs to a table for the smokers and they have the table tennis to contend with, when the ship has got over 2,000 pass there doesnt seem enough tables and chairs for the smokers, the pass can still smoke in their cabins but for how long

 

compared to the regal princess which is now named pacific dawn on the main deck on the port side you can smoke which has a lot more tables and chairs than the SP but you cannot smoke in the cabins or balcony and there is a small area in the casino bar where you can still smoke

[bdjam]

But wouldn't them leaving one diningroom as an anytime diningroom allow them to be able to seat ALL the passengers onboard, instead of just some of them, and the others be destined for buffet food for the entire sailing?

Don't know - if as in North America, the majority of passengers opt for Anytime Dining, I wouldn't think so. Assigning dining times would be a way to control the dining rooms.

I have a difficult time understanding Princess relegating some to Horizon Court and others to the dining room given fares are equal. That doesn't make sense - business or otherwise - are we sure there's not something else behind that?

[caribill]

hi ,i'm an aussie and we sailed on the sun princess at christmas time to noumea and the ship was full, there must have been 750 kids on board and a total well over 2,000 pass

 

 

 

Do you know for sure if some passengers could not get assigned to the dining room and had to only use the buffet?

[Toto2Kansas]

Do you know for sure if some passengers could not get assigned to the dining room and had to only use the buffet?

From what I have read from those retuning from the Sun, once they are out of room for assigned dining, those passengers left after all seating has been assinged must dine at the buffet. I know, it didn't make any sense to me either, but it is what I read from a returning passenger. They weren't happy about it either.

[caribill]

...in North America, the majority of passengers opt for Anytime Dining...

 

 

Are you sure of that? On my last Caribbean Princess cruise, we were number 408 on the waitlist for early seating when we boarded. That meant (at two to a cabin) 816 passengers wanted fixed early seating and could not get it. I suspect there was a wait list for the late seating also.

[Stuartm]

:(

The Australian market must not mind high density ships - I do agree that the superior experience on the Sun Class ships will be ruined by the addtional passenger load. Interesting they are going to use both these ships for around the world cruises from Australia.

 

I am cruising for the first time at the end of the year (Diamond Pr) so I have no first hand knowledge of how P&O Aust operates but just from their advertising they seem to pitch at families AND make a big deal about how much cheaper it is to get a 3rd and 4th person into your cabin and share the expense. I notice on my Princess brochure there is no information about prices for 3rd or 4th person but in the P&O brochures they go to great lengths to help you calculate how much you can save.

I have been looking at future cruises from Australia on the Sun or Dawn but having read on a previous post that they have added extra berths to the cabins I am wary as to how this will effect the experience. P&O are out to make money and they are counting on the fact that most of the cruisers won't have been on the Sun or Dawn before so they won't notice the changes. I'm not sure what they think the Australian market wants but this Australian is certainly not happy about this trend...still, why are we surprised with P&O, nothing new, they just want to improve their bottom line!

[bdjam]

Are you sure of that? On my last Caribbean Princess cruise, we were number 408 on the waitlist for early seating when we boarded. That meant (at two to a cabin) 816 passengers wanted fixed early seating and could not get it. I suspect there was a wait list for the late seating also.

No, I'm not sure of the exact numbers and I had poster's remorse after putting that up. But I do know that even though the dining rooms are waitlisted, there are a lot of empty seats, especially during late seating. And I also know that when I was once waitlisted for late traditional and spoke to the Matre'd when I got on board, he wondered why I was waitlisted because the assigned seats only took up half the dining room.

after being on the sun princess twice we are not impressed with them, we are hoping that the dawn princess is a better ship

They are identical sisters.

[kobecat]

We have sailed on the Dawn on the Mexican Riviera and it is a beautiful ship - same as the Sun (was).

 

What P & O Princess has done to the Sun is criminal. One poster questioned whether Aussie cruises don't mind high density ships. I think that P & O Princess is playing on the unsophisticated Australia cruiser, but they will soon find out by speaking to people who have travelled extensively and hopefully it will backfire on P & O. We already had 3* ships sailing under the P & O banner which we have never (and never will) sail on, we don't need them to add additional ships and bring the standard down.

 

My only suggestion to Australian travellers is to choose the Sapphire and Diamond for your Australian/NZ cruises as they sail under the Princess banner, or if you are in a position to, take advantage of the one-way sailings from Sydney - LA on one of these ships - fantastic.

 

We are on the 24 September sailing of the Dawn from San Francisco to Sydney - the last sailing under the Princess banner. Then they will set about wrecking that too.

[jcmh]

Thanks for all of your responses. We have sailed with Princess before and assumed we'd have the same positive experience on the Dawn. We just didn't realize that it changes hands in Australia. Need to think this one through.