Exhilarating because of the bracing weather and southerly force 7 wind. Old-style because Dawn Princess lacks the specialty entertainment and dining options of newer, larger ships.
Pre cruise
I was booked on a balcony guarantee. 2 days before the cruise I was allocated a balcony cabin on Riviera deck forward port side. The day before the cruise, Princess rang me and offered me a full refund if I would give up my balcony cabin and take an inside cabin on Caribe deck instead. Deal or no deal? Deal! As a single cabin occupant paying double the usual 'per head' price, it was a bit of a no brainer. The refund was going to be either cash on board, or cheque if there wasn't enough cash in the onboard float. Ok. On board they said they would refund back to my credit card but I resisted as it would take me a month of Sundays to spend that much on my credit card again (as I had already paid the bill with the cruise on it) and there's no way the credit card company is going to let me cash it out without fees and charges. So hopefully the promised cheque arrives soon.
My inside cabin was perfectly fine. The shower was plenty large enough and I didn't get water all over the floor. It was set up as twin beds (not what I asked for, but on a free cruise I wasn't going to make a fuss). On the last day I saw it set up as queen bed by the cabin steward who sneaked in early while I was helping my parents. It felt quite spacious when set up as twin beds, but very cramped when set up as a queen. Having seen the difference I don't think I'll ask for the queen set-up again. I didn't miss having a window and I didn't find it helpful to keep the bridge cam on at night as the TV glowed when it was on, even if the screen was mainly black. There was one Aust powerpoint and one U.S. powerpoint within easy reach. I brought an adapter which was useful.
The TV / movie selection was good and I enjoyed the Love Boat reruns!
Historic tourist town just outside Perth. The cruise terminal is very efficient. The weather was surprisingly humid here. That's all.