Dawn Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We last cruised on our Honeymoon 36 years ago! As we approach our retirement, we decided on this cruise to see if we would still enjoy cruising. Also we had heard good feedback from our friends, who had sailed on Dawn Princess twice recently. We travelled down from Sydney by train with an overnight stay in Albury, and arrived in Melbourne at the Great Southern Station. From there it was a short walk to the route 109 tram to Port Melbourne. You do not have to wait long as there is a tram about every 10 minutes.
It is over a kilometre walk to the ship from the tram stop. Golf carts are available for those with mobility problems. We left our tagged luggage at the baggage drop off area near the entrance to the pier. The check in was fast with limited time spent waiting and we were in our cabin quickly. After the safety drill our bags had still not been delivered. At 1730 I went to the information desk to find many bags that were awaiting owners, our tags had somehow disappeared from our luggage!
Our inside stateroom on Caribe deck, C231, was on the small size. It was a tight fit down the sides with the bed set-up as a queen. Being an inside cabin means there is no daylight to interrupt your sleep, but also means you have no visual clues to the time of day. The suggestion to leave the TV on the Bridge view channel (44) as a night light and a "window" to the outside world is a good idea.
Cabin Review
Stateroom C231 was configured as a queen size bed. This resulted in it being a tight squeeze between the bed and the walls, especially on the right side. There was plenty of space in the locker to place our clothing. The shower and bathroom, whilst not spacious, was adequate. The cabin was well located being only a short walk to the lifts and the laundry. We had no problem sleeping as the bed was comfortable and the cabin was very quite. We heard no outside noise, the only noise was from the air-conditioning. Being an inside cabin means there is no daylight to interrupt your sleep, but also means you have no visual clues to the time of day. The suggestion to leave the TV on the Bridge view channel (44) as a night light and a "window" to the outside world is a good idea.