Dawn Princess Review
3.5 / 5.0
0 reviews
pauletto
2-5 Cruises • Age 80s
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Sail Date: May 2016
We recently returned from a 14 night cruise on the Dawn Princess to the South Pacific and Fiji. The cruise left Sydney on a perfect afternoon and we were able to enjoy the sight of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in close proximity in brilliant sunshine.
We were new to cruising, only having done one short cruise on Celebrity Millenium to Alaska four years previously. After reading some mixed reviews on Dawn Princess, we were a little anxious as to whether we were going to enjoy the cruise. Why did we worry? From the time that we joined the other cruisers on deck for the sail away out of Sydney Harbour, we were delighted with the whole experience – it was even better than we could have hoped for.
We’d booked a mid-deck balcony stateroom which wasn’t as flash and roomy as those on Celebrity, but at that time we had Concierge class and the balconies were bigger.!. Although not as smart as Celebrity, our cabin was beautifully looked after and we couldn’t fault the steward in servicing the accommodation. There was more than adequate storage and hanging space and we didn’t feel cramped with any lack of space, apart from the bathroom when drying off after showering – it was no problem just stepping out and drying off in the cabin!.
Cabin Review
Cabin B523
We’d booked a mid-deck balcony stateroom which wasn’t as flash and roomy as those on Celebrity, but at that time we had Concierge class and the balconies were bigger!. Our cabin was beautifully looked after and we couldn’t fault the steward in servicing the accommodation. There was more than adequate storage and hanging space and we didn’t feel cramped with any lack of space, apart from the bathroom when drying off after showering – it was no problem just stepping out and drying off in the cabin!.
Port Reviews
Port Vila
We hired a taxi and had a look around Pt Vila, then caught a water taxi across to Irikiri Island where we intended to relax and have a swim. Unfortunately, the tide had dropped revealing rough coral and stones at the shoreline, making it difficult to access the water. We later used the free water taxi back to the town centre, then a taxi back to the cruise ship. We would seriously consider booking a shore excursion for future visits.
Noumea
This place was disappointing. It was a public holiday and all businesses were closed for the day. We took a tour on the hop on hop off bus, but there was no commentary and the beaches did not compare to the other places we'd already visited earlier in the cruise. Maybe a shore excursion to Amadee Island next time.
Dravuni Island
Loved this beautiful island. Look forward to revisiting next year.
Suva
We weren't impressed with this place. We would consider either taking a shore excursion or staying onboard for this port.
Sydney (Australia)
We didn't take a shore excursion, as we were extending our stay at the end of the cruise.
6 Helpful Votes
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