Dawn Princess Review

3.5 / 5.0
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North to Alaska on Dawn Princess

Review for Alaska Cruise on Dawn Princess
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Chick's pal
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

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Sail Date: Jul 2008

Review of Dawn Princess Alaskan Cruise Roundtrip San Francisco 6-16 July 2008 PRE-CRUISE We arrived at San Francisco airport one day prior to the cruise and stayed at the Embassy Suites on Anza Boulevard in Burlingame. It's situated on the San Francisco bay with a view of the airport runway, which is basically in the bay. It was not noisy; on the contrary it was very tranquil. There is a nice walking path along the waterfront. The hotel has a free airport shuttle which has continuous service every 20 minutes between the airport and three hotels in the same neighborhood. The shuttle driver was the least enthusiastic employee I've ever met. A sloth could learn some of the finer points of apathy from him. But he got us to where we were going and it was free, so who's complaining? This shuttle is also helpful if you're spending more than one day and want to take BART into San Francisco. You can do so from the airport. It was a weekend, and the hotel was overrun with weddings, wedding guests and vacationing families. This meant that all recreational amenities were constantly teeming with people. The morning breakfast was a madhouse. The hotel was in so-so condition. We just slept there. Usually I'd recommend Embassy Suites, but this one was not in good enough shape to be a value for the rate we paid. We spent the afternoon visiting the Pez Museum ( Pez Museum Link ) and shopping along quaint streetscapes in Burlingame. There is a free shuttle (Burlingame Trolley Link) between some airport-area hotels and the shopping areas (Burlingame Avenue) sponsored by the City of Burlingame. Dining near the hotel includes the highly recommended Kincaid's, a 5-minute walk along the aforementioned waterfront path. Also take the airport shuttle to the Holiday Inn Express and go to Max's which neighbors that hotel. Benihana is a short drive or cab ride away, and you'll need reservations at all of these places for a weekend dinner. San Francisco After embarkation procedures (more later), we took a cab from the cruise terminal to Union Square. The fare was about $15. We wandered around the Union Square and Market Street-Powell Street areas then started to wander back towards the Embarcadero, which was a couple of miles away. We wandered through China Town and North Beach and were soon within site of the ship! It ended up being a very nice walk. We found a Walgreen's and Safeway at Powell and Bay Streets, just about 3 blocks from the terminal, and picked up a couple of things we thought we'd need on board. It was a gorgeous sunny day (rare for SF), and we really enjoyed our walk. If you don't want to wander this far out, be aware that Pier 39, the very touristy, but fun entertainment complex is a one-block walk from the terminal. You will find plenty to do there while you wait for sailing time. EMBARKATION Having relatives in the area, we were able to get a ride to the cruise terminal and arrived at exactly 11:00. There were curbside porters who checked in our luggage. We gave ours a small tip, though he did not ask for it and was grateful to receive it. Note that you'll not experience the same extortion techniques here as you do in ports like Florida. We were required to show our boarding passes and passports at the entrance to the terminal. There was no line at the check in desk and we were checked in (utilizing online boarding passes) within 5 minutes. At that time we were directed "to the ship," but really ended up in a small waiting room (capacity about 100) to wait for 20 minutes while they readied the ship. We were onboard before 11:30. This quick action allowed us to enjoy our pre-cruise jaunt through San Francisco without worrying about luggage and embarkation lines. Good job, Princess! CABIN We labored and labored over the decision "to balcony or not to balcony." We'd been told by everyone that balconies are a "must" for Alaska cruises. So we were in Baja 546, at a cost significantly more than a mere oceanview cabin. After about 15 cruises to foreign and domestic destinations on most mainstream lines, we found this room to be the smallest ever. And also the most expensive of all those 15 cruises. When we arrived, the room appeared clean and ready to go. However, the drawers were filled with trash from the previous users and there were a few amenities missing. Our stewardess explained that it was her first day on the ship and that she'd been delayed by immigration procedures and didn't get a chance to fully check the cabin. We found the service to be a little spotty throughout the trip, having to ask for bath towels or some other necessity occasionally. However, I will say that our stewardess was eager to please and gets an "A for Effort," because she really seemed to be trying. She said she'd been employed on ships for 12 years. The cabin has a good-working fridge (which we didn't use, and asked to have the drinks removed so that we wouldn't be erroneously charged for their consumption). The television was positively microscopic, perhaps 11 inches measured diagonally. The phone worked intermittently. None of the numbered buttons worked (i.e. 1, 2, 3,) and the only pre-set button that worked was the Purser's office. So, whenever we made a call, we pressed the Purser button, told them, "Our phone isn't working, so can you transfer me to [insert department here]?" They complied. But funny, no one ever endeavored to troubleshoot the phone... (For those who wonder, there was no noise or partying from other balcony passengers to disturb us, but there were some issues with smokers, including "funny cigarette" smokers. The balcony was, though, a little cold and windy to just park yourself there during sailing like you might in the Caribbean. And there were times we had the door open and could smell all sorts of intense things coming from the kitchen like grilling garlic, bacon frying, meat searing etc.) DINING We chose late traditional dining. We like to dress for dinner and appreciate the less-rushed atmosphere and the familiar tablemates of scheduled dinners. We were at a table for 10 with 4 other couples. Our waiter and assistant were very pleasant and did their best to keep up. There were a few service issues which we blame completely on one couple at our table who were extremely demanding and virtually monopolized the service staff. Every night the two would each order 4 drinks over the course of the meal, which kept the assistant waiter running back and forth to the bar. Additionally, these folks frequently ordered multiple entrees, which meant the rest of the table had to wait for dessert or coffee until all of the entrees were finished. On "crab legs night" 6 diners requested two crab entrees and the difficult couple requested three. One diner at our table missed an appetizer AND had a salad delivered after the entrEe this night. Orders for specialty coffees with liquor meant the waiter had to go to another floor to get that drink while the others at the table waited for "regular" coffee. Many nights we completed our meals too late to attend the 10:00 or 10:15 shows. Again, the fault here lies about 75% with the "high maintenance couple" and 25% with the fact that Princess does not have dedicated bar/wine servers and relies on it's normal waitstaff to fill these orders. A buffet is a buffet is a buffet, in most cases, and Princess provided, well, a buffet. The food choices were certainly varied and you could eat healthy or not. We did not eat here for dinner, but for breakfast or lunch it was adequate. They could improve things with their drink selection. The juice offerings in the morning were pretty boring, but if you asked a server, they would bring cranberry or tomato juice to your table at no charge. After breakfast your choices were ice tea "drink," or coffee, tea, milk. Ice cream was served free in the buffet for an hour at 3:00 each day. This ice cream was just OK. The specialty ice cream shop was open intermittently and offered some complex sundaes for $3.75 (which we didn't try) or a dish of undressed ice cream for $1.50 (which seemed reasonable). The grill made great hot dogs, but just adequate hamburgers. The fries were usually hot. The problem with the grill is its location. It's outside and a bit of a walk from the buffet. So you have to walk your hot food a ways to get your drink and a table. This is probably not a problem on a warm-weather cruise. The pizza restaurant, La Scala, provides excellent pizzas! They aren't gourmet, but they are handmade-to-order and served by waitstaff at a table you are "seen to." Because this place is in the middle of a deck and has four possible entrances, most passengers don't understand that there is a "hostess station" and that you are asked to "wait to be seated." As we were first in line waiting to be seated one day, the party behind us criticized us for not just seating ourselves. "There are all kinds of free tables, just sit down," they said. But don't be tempted to do this, as they wait staff will not know that you haven't ordered. The only way they can keep track is to seat you. (In fact, those impatient people complained to a staff member and were instantly seated, despite the line of people in front of them—and the wait was only about 5 minutes!) While we ate at La Scala one afternoon we were approached by a waiter who suggested we make reservations at the specialty restaurant, Sterling Steakhouse. We'd never been convinced to spend the extra money on these venues in the past. This waiter, a guy from the Philippines named Errol, was so humorous and had such a great personality that we bit. He promised excellent steaks and that we could "eat until you pass out." Our actual experience at the steak house can best be described as "the service was better than the steaks." The steak choices were abundant and you could really eat yourself sick with that 22 ounce porterhouse. But the meat had literally no flavor. The salad was essentially iceberg. The creamed corn had been "sullied" with lima beans. The sautEed mushrooms had nary a trace of butter. The baked potatoes, while actually baked (hooray! not microwaved), were tiny. The staff at Sterling, however was just excellent and this made the experience worthwhile! We saw Errol (think Filipino Peter Lorre) hamming it up for everyone; our waiter, Vittorio, reminded me of someone from the film "The Big Night;" and the supervisor, Victor, was a real charmer. And the dining experience wasn't the least bit rushed or ruined by the lack of manners from tablemates. Bar Service We're not big drinkers, but we did order a couple of times from various bars. The Atrium bar was happy to get us Cokes or lattes. At Magnums, we had excellent Cosmopolitans and Brandy Alexanders and on one occasion, the Pomegranate Martini ended up a little too syrupy so the bartender re-mixed it and brought it to our table personally, explaining what he'd done. The Raspberry Fizz is a great drink! Since we're liquor lightweights our requests for snacks and chips while drinking were very important. At Magnums they were more than willing to provide as much as we needed to keep from getting too tipsy. ENTERTAINMENT Theaters We're not big fans of the production show, so we can't report on those. We did see two comedians, one of which was OK and the other not-so-great. I'm not sure how many times we, as cruise passengers, have to endure comedians who spend their entire act on "cruise humor," including jokes about the vacuum toilets, the all-you-can-eat factors, and the dumb passengers. It's funny for your first cruise and tiresome thereafter. All cruise lines are asked to discontinue this act from their roster, please! We also saw Willie Tyler and Lester, the comedic "pair" from the '70s. If you're over 40, you may remember this act from Laugh-In, Johnny Carson, Sanford & Son, and the Mike Douglas Show. Tyler has a good 15 minute act, as he earned his chops on variety shows. This show was about 30 minutes too long. There were other shows onboard we'd like to have seen, including a magician who worked with a little Maltese dog, which we missed because of the above-mentioned dining room issue. The evening we were in Juneau a talk was given by Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod Dogsled Race. We attended because we didn't really have anything else to do. We ended up thoroughly enjoying her storytelling skills and all of the information she gave about dogsledding, dogs, the Alaskan lifestyle and her achievements. We highly recommend trying to see this "show" live, but if you can't it is repeated for a couple of days on the Princess TV network. Onboard Activities We enjoy trivia and other brain games and this cruise had at least two (if not three) opportunities to play each day. We have never seen such a high rate of participation on any cruise we've taken. Most days there were at least 100 people playing trivia! This made for a great competition and many ties between teams. Tiebreaking sessions were true nail-biting experiences. We were able to team up with a couple of different couples and enjoy a win or two. The questions were fair ones (but not too easy) that you might have a reasonable chance of knowing. We used the Jacuzzi a few times and recommend the "adult only" area outside the 12th-deck spa. These Jacuzzis (and pool) are sheltered by the 14th deck, making them a bit less chilly and windy than the ones on the pool deck. With a couple of rare exceptions, the "adult only" concept was adhered to by guests. I used the spa for a massage on port day. $89 plus tip. The masseuse was adequate and I felt relaxed afterwards. The remarkable thing about this experience is that I called in the late afternoon for an appointment and they said "come right up." No waiting. By the time I got there, though, they were turning others away, so I must have had lucky timing. The library seemed to be well stocked and was busy much of the time. Books are checked out on the "honor system," which passengers merely writing down their names and book titles. The library also has a used book exchange for passengers to trade with others. We did not use the computer center, but it also seemed busy all the time with classes, both paid and free. Instructors, from what I overheard, seemed patient and capable. We're not Bingo players, but we did take one trip to the casino to play quarter poker machines. A word of warning to folks who regularly play gaming machines: Check the maximum bids before you hit the "max bid" buttons! I usually bid the max on quarter poker, which is typically five coins. On the machines we played, the max bid was 10 coins, a fact we didn't notice until half-way through our first $20. We found the machines to be extremely conservative (read: not paying well), and so we quit after about 10 minutes and $40 down. Usually, we come away with a portion of our original money after 10 minutes. Not this time. The shops on board were the usual jewelry, cosmetics, liquor and souvenir venues. One unique item for sale was the Alaska Cruise Companion Book, which referenced the cruise route and all of the wonders of Alaska in a scheduled format. (i.e. each day it explained what you're seeing, mile-by-mile, along with history and facts about the areas.) The Princess Patter would have a small blurb on the front page directing you to the day's highlights in this Companion book. Unfortunately, the Patter was wrong! (i.e. "See page 49 for route map," when there was no map on page 49.) When I asked about this I was told that there are many versions of the book and that the Patter was referencing an edition that wasn't for sale on the ship. So, before you buy, check to see that there is agreement between the book and the Patter or the purchase may be less relevant to the trip than you hoped. Photographers The photographers this cruise seemed less pushy than in the past. We usually don't buy photos, so don't ever like to waste time (and their resources) by posing for them when asked. We missed the occasion to pose with staffers in moose and bear costumes, so watch for that. We would have gladly posed with those guys. We did buy one set of photos taken at dinner that turned out very well. They utilized a lens filter on those that was a little more forgiving on mature faces. Princess offers a series of DVDs on this cruise that go beyond the usual "your cruise documented" video. But the costs are unbelievable! I may be wrong, but I think they were charging $54 each for two Alaskan documentaries. I can't think of any source of any kind of video that charges that amount! They were freely shown on the Princess TV network, and they looked great, but the cost was just too much. PORTS & EXCURSIONS Ketchikan Ketchikan was our first port. We arrived two hours late due to choppy seas between San Francisco and the Inside Passage. Many ship's excursions were re-scheduled or cancelled altogether, as departure was set for 3:00. We'd planned to take the earliest possible city bus to Totem Bight State Park to spend the uncrowded and better-lighted early hours to photograph and experience the Totem Poles. Then we'd take in the 11:00 Lumberjack Show by purchasing our tickets at the show (rather than through the cruiseline). This would allow us the ultimate flexibility. The late arrival of the ship changed things slightly. We were off the ship at 9:00 and immediately went to the Lumberjack ticket desk to check on availability. The ship's excursions for this show were sold out. We were informed by the ticket agent that a 1:00 show had been added specifically because our ship was late. We bought tickets on the spot. Link to Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show We then made our way to the Public Library on Dock Street Near Bawden Street and took the city bus (every hour on the :45) to Totem Bight, about a half-hour ride. The fare is $1 each way per person or $2 for an all-day pass. Take the Blue Line. Link to Ketchikan Bus Info Totem Bight was great with traditional poles and a clan house recreated by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. Admission is free. There is a small gift shop which serves hot drinks for a donation and offers books, cards and other trinkets. I highly recommend you drop some cash here because the funds they raise directly benefit the park. The restrooms here are ample, also. One hour is all we needed and the bus picked us up (every hour on the :15) for a return into town. This was a great way to see "the real" Ketchikan with workers, mothers and children all on board as part of their every day lives. Link to Totem Bight Info We had a little time to stroll through the shops and get our souvenir of choice: a smashed penny, which we accomplished at a store near the pier. You know, put two quarters and a penny in a machine, turn the crank, and voila! My souvenir budget is 51 cents wherever I go, and I'm usually not disappointed. The Lumberjack show was $34 plus tax per person, and one hour in duration. It was a little hokey, but enjoyable. Where else are you going to be able to see this kind of thing, but Alaska? In all, worth it, and good family fun. The ship left as planned at 3:00. Juneau In Juneau we were docked at a relatively remote pier which required a shuttle to town. This shuttle was $3 per person for an all day pass. Yes, you could probably have walked, but the route was not obvious and it would have taken about 30-45 minutes. Luckily, this shuttle was quick in both directions. It drops off and picks up at the Mount Roberts Tramway entrance, probably every 20 minutes. We’d arranged in advance for a self-guided kayak tour of Mendenhall Lake through Above and Beyond Alaska Tours. We were met at 9:00 at the Mount Roberts Tram entrance and taken to Auke Bay where the tour company had a kayak shop and were outfitted with everything we needed, including rain gear, boots, gloves, and all of the kayak equipment. There were others there for tours, but none scheduled to paddle Mendenhall Lake. We were dropped off at the lake, given a brief safety instructional and a map of the lake and set off by ourselves for a superior experience. The winds were non-existent and the lake was calm as a sheet of glass. We were the only humans on the lake, in plain view of Mendenhall Glacier and floating among its icebergs. We spent about two hours paddling before we beached the kayak and “un-outfitted” while we waited for Above and Beyond to pick us up again. While we waited, tour buses full of 70 people arrived on the beach for a rafting tour of the Mendenhall river. These folks were not prepared, as we saw one in a skirt and several with large expensive cameras around their necks. The “flavor” of the environment really changed with the introduction of this crowd and we were quite glad we started out early for a pristine experience. I don’t recommend this activity if you don’t have any kayaking experience. We’d spent a couple of months training at home. If you are experienced, I highly recommend this company for any kayaking excursion. They have many options. This particular tour was less than $100 per person and flexible to be as long as six hours if you wish. Link to Above & Beyond Alaska We were back in town by 1:00 and spent a bit of time shopping the local galleries. If you like local arts and crafts, you will find a lot to choose from. Since there were no penny smashers specifically featuring Juneau, I had to increase my souvenir budget here. I would highly recommend a stop at William Spear on Franklin Street where we “contributed directly to the Alaskan economy.” It’s upstairs from some other storefronts. Be sure to read the notes on the stairway on your way up. Spear designs enamel pins and zipper pulls to appeal to many different interests. Relative to Alaska, you can get pins featuring bears, salmon, birds, flags, etc. But how about something different like a Canadian Mounty, a VU meter, the human eyeball, a mummy, or a butcher’s beef chart? What a nice inexpensive ($5 to $15) and small souvenir, and great gift ideas for folks back home. Way better than a T-shirt! Link to William Spear Info (click on the “visiting Juneau” link for directions.) About 3:00 we decided to eat a late lunch at the Twisted Fish, and this turned out to be a good decision. It’s located near the tramway entrance in the building with Taku Fisheries. This place was recommended by the salesperson at William Spear. We had Alaskan King Crab legs and salmon filets, plus a couple of soft drinks for about $75. Pricey, yes, but you simply must have the local seafood at its source! We heard others’ tales later of trying to get a table at dinnertime here, with no success. Consider eating here at an “off” time for best results. Link to Twisted Fish Skagway For this port, we’d pre-arranged a tour directly with Chilkoot Charters for a White Pass & Yukon Railroad ride “up” with a small van ride “down” the summit. This would allow us more flexibility than a motorcoach / train tour and the ability to make unscheduled stops for photos on the way down. The train ride was excellent, with unmatched scenery. You are allowed to stand on the outside platform of your train car for photos and this was the best spot of all for great shots of the train, waterfalls, wildlife and relics of the past. For those interested, there is a restroom on board, as well as water. You can bring your own snacks and drinks if you wish. There are coffee shops and snack counters in the “caboose shop” near the ship and the depot in town. Once at the summit, you go through a Canadian customs inspection and then we disembarked the train and loaded onto the van. There were a total of six passengers on our tour, so it was a very personal ride down with the guide telling us all kinds of facts and info about his life in Alaska. We made a few stops on the way down for pictures. The tour gives you the option of being dropped off downtown or dockside. The cost was less than $120 per person Since we’d spent the morning visiting the four blocks of shops, strolling among the structures of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park (right in town) and finding our 51 cent souvenirs at the Alaskan Shirt Company, we opted to return to the ship. Link to Chilkoot Charters and Link to Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Tracy Arm We were scheduled to cruise Tracy Arm from 5:00 to 10:00 am. As we say in Minnesota, “Uff Da!” I’m a morning person, but that’s crazy! We set the alarm for 5:00 and I was doubtful that we’d see anything in the dark of the hour. What a surprise to find the sky well lit by the sun as the alarm went off and we entered the Tracy Arm fjord, dotted with icebergs and lined with evergreens and Alder trees. The four hours was truly amazing as we sailed with the cabin TV tuned to the naturalist’s commentary on the Princess network and stood on the balcony in the brisk morning air. Because of so much ice, we were only able to get as far as Sawyer Island, but we could see the South Sawyer Glacier in the distance and the ship rotated so both sides could get an extended viewing time. The route exiting the fjord was just as fascinating because the scenery was different from what we’d seen on the other side of the ship on the way in. Definitely the consummate Alaska experience, and having the balcony cabin was a plus. (Although I understand it was just as fun on deck with other passengers and crew.) Once out of the fjord, there were vague coastlines far out on either side of the ship and a good amount of mist for hours and hours. At one point during our sea day between Tracy and Victoria, the fog was thick and the ship sounded its fog warnings over and over throughout the day. Victoria This was the only place where we scheduled a ship’s excursion and this was because of the short time in port. We’d been to Victoria before and enjoyed the Butchart Gardens, so we visited it again. This was the dreaded motorcoach tour and it had all the trappings you’d expect from an intimate group of 60 passengers. Before boarding the bus we had to walk through Canadian Customs for a passport check. The garden was beautiful, of course, and was a great spot for photos. We had only 90 minutes here before we had to return to the bus for a compulsory stop at the neighboring Butterfly Gardens. We would have preferred skipping the butterflies and staying on at Butchart. The bus returned to the pier just 30 minutes before sailaway. The excursion cost was about $80 per person. Here is a link to Butchart Gardens. We know why the ship stops in Victoria, but we don’t know why they only give you a few hours. This is one of the great Pacific ports with quaint streetscapes, the great Empress Hotel and lots of historical sites. The cruise lines should consider doing whatever is necessary to stay longer. One fun thing at this cruise terminal is that the Canadian officials were stamping passports if you asked. So if that’s important to you, get it here. We’ve never been able to get a passport stamp in any foreign cruise port. DISEMBARKATION Disembarkation was extremely easy. We’d been assigned a disembarkation time that would not allow us to make our flight, but a talk with the purser fixed that. We had time for a leisurely breakfast. We returned to our cabin to gather our carry-off luggage and found the stewardess cleaning the room (including tossing out our disembarkation paperwork!)…not such a great send off. But we reported to our “station” and awaited instructions. We left the ship on time without any incident. Be aware, however, that Princess does keep your sign-and-sail card upon departure and there is no talking them out of it. We found our luggage easily, grabbed a cab at curbside and took it to the airport. The fare from cruise terminal to SFO was $40. All in all, this was a nice first foray into Alaska and we enjoyed the ports immensely. We’ll plan a future trip to delve a little deeper into the Inside Passage, to take in some of the sights that we missed during the relatively short time we spent on land, and add more glacier and fjord sailing to our docket.

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Cabin Review

Extremely good central location. Small balcony takes square footage from the interior room. Small closet. Microscopic TV. Adequate storage. Quiet.

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