Dawn Princess

Dawn Princess Facilities / On Board Activities

Dining / Dinner	Entertainment / Recreation	Gratuity Policies
No. of Dinner Sittings: 2 Usual Dinner Hours: Personal Choice, 6:30pm & 8:30pm Special Diet: Available upon request Dress Code: May vary from Cruise Casual to Formal.	Art Exhibition and Auctions Art Gallery Bars/Lounges/ Night Clubs - 9 Card Rooms Casino Disco Library Movie Theater/Cinema Photo Shop and Photo Gallery Pools - Outdoor - 4 Radio Reading Gallery Stereo in Cabins Whirlpools - 5	Suites and Mini-Suites $11.00 per passenger per day All Other Staterooms $10.50 per passenger per day
Services	Health and Beauty	Athletic/Exercise Facilities
Beauty Salon Cruise Office Laundry/Ironing/Dry Cleaning Service Photo Processing Postal Service Shore Excursion Desk	Drug Store Health Center w/Massage and Treatment Rooms Medical Center Sauna/Steam Rooms Whirlpool Spas - 5	Aerobic and Exercise Room Golf Simulators Gymnasium Sports Court

Dawn Princess Onboard Experience

When Sun Princess floated out in 1995, it is hard to believe that at a mere 77,000 tons it was at the time the largest cruise ship in the world. It didn't take too long for that distinction to be surpassed, but in any case her beauty, especially internally, was classic enough for Princess for build three more sisters including Dawn Princess, the only other ship of this class still in the Princess fleet. Ocean Princess and Sea Princess have been relocated to Europe.

Dawn Princess Things to Do

Entertainment:
The single-story showrooms offer unobstructed views from every seat, several spaces in the back for wheelchair-users, good sound, and state-of-the-art lighting. The smaller Vista Lounge offers comfortable cabaret-style seating, while the elegant, nautical-themed Wheelhouse Bar is the perfect spot for pre- or post-dinner drinks and conversation.

Even though these ships are small by today's standards, they get an "A" for effort when it comes to the themed production shows. You won't be razzle-dazzled with pyrotechnics and laser lights, but you can walk away humming familiar show tunes or hits from your youth as you reflect upon how it used to feel to be as agile as the pas de deux dance team.

Expect a slate of individual performers such as comedians, jugglers, singers or magicians to fill in the other nights. Like most smaller ship entertainment, enjoyable for people who are not overly critical.
 
Fitness:
A great many American towns' chambers of commerce would love to get their hands on fitness facilities comparable to these three ships. Indeed, from the Princess Links computerized golf simulator, which lets you virtually play the trickiest holes at the world's most famous golf courses (for a separate charge) to a separate jogging track, there aren't many athletic activities you can't enjoy aboard.

The stunning multi-level Spa offers whirlpool, exercise equipment with personal trainer, and Steiner's salon. A splash pool on Sun Deck supplements the ships' main pool, on Riviera Deck.
 
For Kids:
Even if there are hundreds of children on board, it's likely that you will be aware of them only intermittently. Children's activities are scheduled morning, noon, and night, but parents are expected to dine with their progeny. No private babysitting is on offer, and group sitting expires at midnight. The Off Limits teen centers, for passengers 13 to 17 offer a video arcade, soft furniture, and are notably unpopular with their intended users; they seem usually to be deserted.

Dawn Princess Dining / Dinner

Cuisine:
According to the new Princess Personal Choice dining you can choose fixed seating dinners at 6:30 or 8:30 p.m. in the Regency Dining Room, or opt for making a reservation in the open seating Marquis Dining Room anytime between 5:30 and 10:00 p.m.. It matters little where ambiance and decor are concerned, both are identically furnished. The difference lies in whether you prefer the traditional cruise ship dining service of having the same team serve you for every meal, usually leading to friendlier, more interactive service as they learn to anticipate your dining preferences. The open seating option gives you the freedom to dine at the hour you choose even if it is different every night, with whom you choose. You will be seated at your own table, as at a restaurant ashore, but expect slightly less personal service than if you have the same service crew every night.

Princess has clearly improved the reputation of its food, especially in the areas of pasta and beef dishes. The Sterling Steakhouse features special cuts of Angus beef from its own celebrated brand. Passengers choose either rib-eye, New York strip, porterhouse, or filet mignon from a presentation tray, and watch -- drooling, in most cases! --- as the chef cooks it to order. Starters include chili, blooming onion, jalape?o poppers, and fresh Caesar salad, as well as the traditional baked potato or fries, sauted mushrooms, creamed spinach, and corn on the cob. The ships pizzerias make your pie to order, and chances are that it will be scrumptious. Desserts are unfortunately not always the grand finale one would expect in such surroundings. Adding insult to injury, the ice cream bar levies its own charges.
 
Restaurants:
Aside from the Personal Choice Dining in the two main dining rooms, the Venetian and Florentine Dining Rooms, for those feeling a bit more casual, there are a patisserie, a hamburger and hot dog grill, a sushi bar, and a 24-hour restaurant in the Horizon court next to the pool area. And of course there is always 24-hour room service, but with a limited menu. The pizzeria seems authentically Italian. The Grill restaurant adjacent to the pool offers casual breakfast and luncheon buffet, and is partially transformed in the evening into the Sterling Steakhouse, with decorative table linen, fine cutlery and table lanterns. (Since seating is limited to 70, reservations are encouraged. The Steakhouse charges $15.00).

A gratuity of $10.00 per person per day for dining and cabin staff is automatically applied to shipboard accounts regardless of which plan you choose. Passengers may increase or reduce this amount at their whim.
 
Service:
The staff, from all over the globe, is both wonderfully personable and attentive to detail. Boarding passengers are met at each stairwell and smilingly directed or even escorted to their cabins. Turndown service with chocolates on the pillow is provided in the evening. Charmingly, wooden deck chairs with steamer blankets are available for the asking on ships bound to or from Alaska.

For dining and stateroom personnel charge, $10 per person per day (including children) is automatically added to your stateroom account, whether or not they choose traditional or restaurant-style dining. You can talk to the ship's purser about raising or lowering this amount.

All beverage tabs automatically have a 15-percent gratuity added. In the spa and casino and with other staff, let your conscience be your guide.
 
Attire:
Seven-night cruises offer two opportunities to put on the Ritz in formal attire. Many men opt for a dark suit instead of tux while their companions prefer dressy pants to dresses. The rest of the time, think smart casual. By day, don?t even think of wearing anything other than shorts, sneakers, a polo shirt. If you want to toss in a baseball cap that's up to you, you can even turn it backwards.

Dawn Princess Ambience

Decor:
You need go no farther than the marble-floored Grand Plaza atrium, with its brass staircase, to realize that a lot of luxury awaits you. Especially when the view is accompanied by a string quartet or grand pianist expertly fingering glissandi. All in all, Dawn Princess is one of the most gorgeous vessels at sea. Combining varnished hardwoods, marble, etched glass, granite, and textured fabrics, the decor juxtaposes classic and modern influences in a way that does not take your breath away, but creates a quietly pleasurable ambiance. The ships each boast a remarkable art collection valued at nearly one million dollars.
 
Cabins:
Tastefully finished in blond wood with pastel colored spreads, cabins are divided into some 28 categories, though in fact there are fewer than 10 real-life configurations; the category distinctions actually reflect differences in location (amidships versus aft, and so on), and thus price. More than 400 cabins on each vessel boast private, if very narrow, balconies. The ships most popular staterooms have 178-square-foot balconies but only 161 square feet of living space, and thus are not for the claustrophobic. Mini-suites with two rooms are among the largest at sea: 374 sq. feet, including balcony and large marble bathroom. Closet space is at a real premium in the standard outside and inside cabins.

All that noted, there's no denying the generosity of the ships amenities package: color TV with movies and CNN; hair dryers; terrycloth robes; safes; mini-refrigerators; and beds that convert from twin to queen size. Three hundred cabins will accommodate third passengers in upper berths. Nineteen cabins on each vessel offer wheelchair accessibility.