Dawn Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first cruise. We had previously spent holidays at various resorts and islands on the east coast of Australia, but have never cruised before. This was to be a new experience and we agreed that there was no way we could prepare for how we would feel about it. The experience turned out to be spectacular, different, frustrating, exhausting, memorable; but in a word amazing.
The cruise was from Sydney to Cooktown and return. We flew from Melbourne to Sydney. Embarkation at Sydney went very smoothly. We were on the ship before we knew it. One oddity is that my wife's luggage was at the door to our room when we arrived but my luggage did not turn up until well after dinner. Yes I was getting worried. We wondered what we were going to do the whole time we were at sea, but the activities started almost as soon as we were aboard. It took most of the first day to find our way around the ship, the sheer size meant there were plenty of things to find and places to explore. Sailout from Sydney Harbour under the bridge was a spectacular start to the cruise.
We had an interior room, at the front of the ship, on level 10. Space was sufficient, and I was pleased at the solidity of the bathroom as I feared that it would be flimsy and inadequate like most en suites tend to be. There was plenty of space in it for me, but a larger person might struggle there.
Cabin Review
The cabin was adequate in size as we did not spend much time there. It was only used for sleeping in and to store our luggage. It would be great if princes offered bunks or hammocks so that the space could be used better by those who would prefer such an arrangement.
The bridge cam feed to the tv was a wonderful feature, as the tv then acted as a window to the outside world. I suggest that Princess should refit all the interior rooms with an lcd display set into the wall and permanently connected to the bridgecam to get the permanent illusion of a window.
The bathroom was very solid and functional. I was fearing a flimsy affair like in most resorts but I was pleasantly surprised at it's qualities. It does need a light switch on the inside though.
The cabin was clean and comfortable.