Dawn welcomes us back

In May this year we were welcomed back to the Dawn Princess, this time for a cruise around New Zealand, which strangely being one of our closest neighbours, we had never visited before.

Boarding was a simple experience made as easy as completing 4 questions on a tick box form and soon we felt completely at home.  After a quick ‘boarding’ picture we head to C714, our stateroom and home for the next 12 days.  Our room Steward Kleynard introduced himself immediately, welcoming us back and we quickly settled in and unpacked.   The staterooms on Dawn are neutral, well sized and very comfortable.  C714 is a balcony cabin and in a good location, aft, portside, near the elevators.  Our first stop is to the Horizon Court, (affectionately knick named Jimmy, buffet get it?) for a coffee.  What a surprise to bump into our waiter from our first cruise, our honeymoon in 2011 and have him actually remember us too. Now we are really feeling like we are home!  So after coffee we return to our room to watch a movie (Meet me in St Louis) and relax until time for the fire drill before sail off and dinner.   On our way to our room via the Atrium we come across a crew member wheeling a trolley serving freshly made straight from the oven cookies.  Milk and cookies are served poolside or in the Atrium each afternoon and is a daily ritual many have fallen in love with as they enjoy the straight from the oven aroma wafting through.

Our dinner is allocated for late sitting, 7.45pm in the Florentine Dining Room on level 5.  In the dining rooms you are allocated the same table, same dinning companions (if you selected a shared table) and the same wait staff every night.  Our table waiters introduce themselves, a cheerful, cheeky Oscar and the lovely, sweet Maria, both from Philippines.  Together they cater to our every whim from seating us and placing our napkins on our laps, drinks from the drink list to cracked pepper on our meal.  The selection of bread rolls are to die for in the dining room and Oscar soon learns it’s our weakness and ensures our basket remains full.  The meals are exceptional, and often themed, French, Italian, etc.  The desserts are also very sumptuous.  The serves are well portioned so as satisfy without overfilling.

After dinner each evening we usually go to the Princess Theatre and watch a performance.  The shows were popular and each show usually was scheduled twice so the early sitting and late sitting could attend.  Each evening after the show we enjoy a stroll around the outdoor promenade deck (weather permitting).  On to our stateroom we find Kley has been in and turned down our bed, leaving us a chocolate, the breakfast menu and a Princess Patter.  The Patter is a daily informative guide to life at sea and each day includes an Officer’s Daily Log written by a different crew member. The Patter introduces us to various crew, has a navigation update, safety information, a Did You Know, Whimsical Quote of the Day, agenda of all the daily activities, Location, Hours and much, much more.  Each evening I read to see what activity, movie, experience I want to join the next day.

In the morning on sea days we had breakfast at Horizon court which has a good selection of breakfast foods ranging from eggs, bacon, waffles, cereals, fresh fruits, pastries, etc.   On port days to save time and avoid congestion we used room service, a pot of hot coffee, toast and spreads, fruit platter, yoghurt, cereals and pastries.

For lunch, again there is the option of the main dining room for a meal, Horizon Court, La Scala Pizzeria or Balcony Grill.  La Scala is a sit down pizzeria (or $3 room delivery) where you can enjoy freshly made to order, individual sized pizzas with a glass of wine.  Balcony Grill overlooks the pool area and serves freshly grilled burgers, hot-dogs and chips.   One option we didn’t see that is usually available on Princess in the Wheelhouse is the Pub lunch on sea days.

Just so you don’t go hungry, in the afternoons there is a choice of snacks at La Patisserie, Sundaes for soft serve ice creams or the dining room for a high tea.  Here white gloved waiters in their formal uniform serve us at tables with white tablecloths, gleaming silver pots of tea or coffee, finger sandwiches and mini rolls, cookies, cakes and profiteroles.

Outside the Venetian and Florentine dining rooms and at Horizon they display the dinner menu showing the theme (if any), Always Available, Appetisers, Soups & Salads and Main Courses.  Dessert is a separate menu given after the main meal each night.  So what’s on the menu?  There is always the signature Princess dish, but no matter what we might be craving there is always a choice of local flavours and traditional dishes to suit a variety of tastes.

Everything I have mentioned so far is included in the price, room service, and fine dining or casual self-serve.  The Sterling Steakhouse is another option, but this one has a set additional charge of $25.   So if you are in the mood for a premium cooked to order steak you can select your cut of aged beef steak from a tray presented by the waiter.  Our steak is served by staff dedicated to making the experience something special with a variety of sauces, specialty salts and desserts exclusive to the Steakhouse.

The other options for an additional charge are Champagne Balcony Breakfast, Ultimate Balcony dining or Chef’s Table, neither of which we chose to experience.

Suffice to say, cruising is a ‘foodies’ delight, there is an array of local produce, freshly prepared round the clock.

To fill in some time and get some mementos, luxury goods, fashion and logo clothing and sundries  there are two shops, Illuminations and Regatta arranged on either side of the Atrium.   They also have tables places out in the Atrium at certain times where the ‘specials’ are sold, usually logo clothing, scarves, watches and jewellery.

Throughout the day and evening there are movies shown on the giant outdoor screen known as MUTS (Movies Under The Stars).  They screen sporting events, concerts, classic and latest release movies which you can enjoy from a deck chair (blankets provided on colder weather), from the Jacuzzi or from the balconies overlooking the pool area.  To enhance the experience complimentary popcorn is served throughout and you can order movie themed cocktails for an additional charge.   We saw a lady a few rooms away from ours most evenings coming back to her room with several bags of popcorn.

Other many activities are available on-board, from Bingo, Ping Pong, Shuffleboard, Golf Putting, Bridge, Yoga, Zumba, Aerobics, Carpet Bowls, Line Dancing, Deck Quoits and Pilates. There is also Enrichment Lectures, Port Lectures, Astronomy Lectures, Art Seminars and Champagne Art Auctions. You can join the Princess Pop Choir, craft classes, take a Ballroom beginners class, part take in the Texan Hold’Em Tournament or attend one of the many get-togethers (we attended one run by Cruise Critic members). There are many music options also, Lunchtime Melodies with a pianist in the Atrium, Poolside Music, Music and Dancing in the Wheelhouse, Classical Melodies with String Quartet in the Atrium, Dixieland Jazz and Motown Hour to name a few.  Then there is the production shows.  We saw British Invasion, Ye Olde Pub Night, International Crew Show, etc.  Also to entertain us in the Vista Lounge was Comedy with Mike Harris, Wake Show, Liars Club Game Show and Morning Trivia.  Towards the end of the cruise was a Culinary Demonstration and Galley Tour presented by the Executive Chef and Maitre d’.  There was also the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party where Captain Ivan Jerman invited us to cocktails and a speech, New Zealand Farewell Balloon Drop Party and two formal nights.  If that wasn’t enough variety there is always the stateroom television with 27 channels including webcam from the bridge.

To keep yourself looking the part there is a Hair Salon, Lotus Spa offering massage, facials, collagen treatment, acrylic nails and teeth whitening and the Fitness Centre for Aerobics, yoga and all the gym equipment.

Now I have not even mentioned the extensive art collection, Sanctuary, Casino, Photo & Video Gallery, Future Cruise Sales, Captain Circle’s Desk, Shore Excursion Desk, Library, Medical Centre, Port Lecturer Desk, Princess Shopping Host Desk, Youth & Teen Centres, Internet Café, Magnums Bar, Jammers Nightclub, Riviera Bar and Pool, Oasis Bar & Pool or Windjammers and probably quite a lot more.

As you can see a cruise not only offers a relaxing getaway as you sample the cities along the way, it is also a great opportunity to form new and lifelong friends and reacquaint with others from previous travels.

We were kindly provided with lots of useful stats to include from Rene Klingohr from the Customer Service desk which I have compiled in my next blog “Behind the Scenes with Princess”.

(Click on thumbnail to see full size image)

*All opinions and photos are our own and we were not financially compensated for this post.

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