Review Dawn Princess Mexican Riviera Jan 29-Feb 8, 2006

[TorontoTL]

I just returned from a wonderful 10 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the beautiful Dawn Princess. I have posted a Live From the Dawn Princess thread on the Princess boards that has my daily thoughts about the cruise there. Here I’d like to summarize my cruise for anyone who is interested in reading about it.

My partner and I are in our late 30’s and early 40’s. This was our sixth cruise with Princess and 8th overall. It was our first cruise as Platinum Captain’s Circle members and I have to say I like the perks that come with that and can’t wait until I can get to Elite. Throughout the cruise we were able to use the internet café for free. This was a great perk as we were able to stay connected with friends and news back home in Canada.

We arrived in San Francisco the morning of embarkation and grabbed a taxi to Pier 35 which cost about $45 with tip. It was a quick and painless drive to the Pier. At the pier we were able to go straight to the front of the line to check in because of the Platinum check in. We were in our cabin within 10 minutes of our arrival at the Pier. We quickly grabbed some lunch in the Horizon Court and headed out to walk around San Francisco. What a wonderful start to the cruise. Before the ship left port we were back on and unpacking our luggage. We went up to the front of the ship up top for the sailaway and it was wonderful going under the Golden Gate Bridge, that is a can’t miss part of this itinerary.

The ports of call were Catalina Island, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and San Diego. We did not do any ship excursions and did everything on our own. It was really easy to see these ports as everything was within walking distance if you were willing to walk. There are lots of sights to see in each of these ports. Catalina Island is really quaint and if you don’t like to walk to see it you can easily rent a golf cart to search the island. Puerto Vallarta downtown from the Marina is about a 40 – 50 minute walk. Once downtown there is a lot of shopping and sights to see. The Malecon and the bronze statues are not to be missed. The beaches in Mexico are public so you can use any of the beaches that are associated with any of the hotels if you like. Within quick walking distance just south of the Marina is the Krystal Hotel which has quite a nice beach. Mazatlan old town is a walkable distance from the rather industrial pier that the ship docks at. If you’re not comfortable with walking a cab is easy to grab to the old town for several dollars. An alternative if you want to do some shopping is to take a cab to the Golden Zone. This is much farther and costs closer to $7-9 US. If you decide to walk back to the ship be warned that this is a very very long walk. We did walk it but it must have taken a couple of hours or more at a leisurely pace. The beaches in the Golden Zone are nice, softer sand that I saw in Puerto Vallarta and the water here seems a bit calmer than in PV as well. Cabo San Lucas was a surprise for us as we had never been there before. It is obvious that a lot of money has and is being put into this town. All along the Marina there are shops and restaurants and expensive looking condos and hotels. If you walk all the way you will reach very nice looking beaches that you can use. We didn’t stay at the beach but instead headed back into town and did some shopping. There is a lot of shopping here and in fact there is a very nice mall in town too. Our last port was San Diego. Most of you being from the US probably know lots more about this city than I would know. We really enjoyed our walk that day. We headed down to the Gas Lamp district but little was open that early in the day. We headed north back to Horton Plaza/Mall and did some shopping there. We then walked quite a distance up to Balboa Park which has wonderful old Spanish building. It is wonderful to walk around and see. There you will also find the San Diego Zoo. We didn’t have enough time to see it and will have to make another trip to SD to fully take advantage of the sights. Walking back to the ship in the area of the dock you will find a ship museum with the Star of India as well as the ship used in the filming of “Master and Commander”. Further south of that next to where the Dawn was docked was Midway. The aircraft carrier is well worth the $15 US cost of admission to tour.

With respect to food and service on the Dawn Princess, the food was up to the usual high standards that we have found on all Princess ships. There were many outstanding meals that we had in the Florentine Dining Room. If we ever ordered something not to our tastes our waiters were always quite attuned to this and quickly made another suggestion and brought the alternative very quickly to us. We enjoyed our meals in the Pizzeria as well as Horizon Court where the selections were always good and the food was as fresh as one could expect at a buffet where things aren’t made to order. The service we received from all the staff we came into contact with was outstanding. In particular all of the waiters in the dining room were friendly and extremely helpful. Our room steward was great, attentive and chatty. The wine service we received from our waiters and the head waiters showed how sommeliers weren’t needed. They were all very well versed on the very well priced and varied wine list that Princess offers.

We didn’t attend any of the big production shows so I can’t comment on any of them at all. Hopefully someone else on the cruise will post a review and comment on the shows. The Mexican party and buffet on the Sun deck one night was well attended and a lot of fun. Don’t forget your Island shirt for that evening. The CD posted and hosted three “LGBT Friends of Dorothy” meetings. They were fun and it was great to meet other Gay/Lesbians on the ship.

Finally the Dawn Princess although currently Princess’ second oldest ship is in pristine condition. Her hull was being painted on the days we were docked and she looked great. Inside they were recarpeting carpet in the hallways that didn’t look worn to me. Princess really tries very hard and is successful and keeping their ships in excellent condition. Our cabin was an inside cabin on the Plaza deck and we thoroughly enjoyed having an inside cabin for the first time. The cabin was in good condition and there was more than sufficient room for all of our things. One thing you should know is that there was only one outlet that I found that took N. American plugs so if you have alot of electronics then you might want to bring a power bar.

For anyone interested in seeing the Mexican Riviera I wouldn’t hesitate suggesting the Dawn Princess as your ship. With outstanding service, food and a wonderful ship what else could you ask for?

[mii]

Great review. Glad you had a great time. The next time you go you must see more of San Diego as you mentioned. Now that is a beautiful city.

 

marilyn

[mississauga]

Benny,

Thank you for your great review and your daily reports live from the Dawn. We are booked on an April cruise and are more excited now that you have given such glowing reports about the Dawn. The one concern we had was that it was an older ship but you have now laid that to rest. Many thanks for the time you took to give us your impressions and reviews. I' m sure all future cruisers on the Dawn appreciate it as much as I do.

 

Happy cruising to you in the future!

[Nancyquilts]

Benny - great review. I agree with everything you said about the ship. We did go to the production shows. They were pretty good, but stage lights being flashed into the audience were annoying, as we would close our eyes and miss part of the show. Our favorite evening entertainments were the pianist and the magician. The ship's food was, unfortunately, very good (except for the soups, which were all quite watery). I was disappointed in the library - probably the worst ship library I have seen - no recent books by anyone you have heard of, and some of the books in terrible shape - it really needs some TLC.

Tendering seemed to work well, and we never waited very long - even had to tender in PV for the first time.

I had been to the ports before, so took "sea days" in Catalina and San Diego and used the swimming pool to do laps - can't do that when everyone is on board.

For those who aren't as energetic as Benny and able to walk everywhere, there was plenty of local transportation. We use the local bus in PV - definitely worth 4.5 pesos (45 cents) for the ride to down town. Nancy

[cruisingisforme]

Hello Benny,

 

Thank you for the review while on the ship and after. I am sailing in April, inside cabin just like you. We are really looking forward to it, even more since your review. :) Thank you.

 

Charlotte

[bdjam]

Thanks for the great review, Benny – glad to hear that Dawn Princess is still providing the excellent experience I had on her back in December. Is it any wonder I’m a Cheerleader? :D

[berylmorris]

Thank you for your review. We were on the Dawn on her first trip to Mexico this season on 21 September and we absolutely loved it. Your posts brought all the memories back - one of our favourites was the Pizza Restaurant and the head waiter (maitre 'D?). We had lunch there several times. It was our favourite cruise. Thought you must have had free internet access - it was too expensive for me!

[boltnut55]

Thanks for the review. We're going on March 10 and are really looking forward to it. What time were you able to board the ship? I'm trying to figure out when's the earliest we can get on, get settled, and have lunch. Good to know you enjoyed the inside cabin too. This will be our first time w/an inside cabin (I misunderstood DH when I asked him about the cabin... would have only cost $200 more for the entire trip!).

[eastonce]

TorontoTL,

Great review, thanks so much for posting your experiences. Do you know where in Catalina were the golf carts available and could they be reserved in advance? My husband and I will be on the March 30th sailing of the Dawn and since he will be on oxygen and is not able to walk far, the golf cart rental sounds perfect. He will have a scooter on board but I don't think we will be able to put it on the tender.

 

My Mother is practically a neighbor of yours - she lives in Port Hope.

 

Carol in Carmel

[Kallen]

Thanks for the review. We're going on March 10 and are really looking forward to it. What time were you able to board the ship? I'm trying to figure out when's the earliest we can get on, get settled, and have lunch. Good to know you enjoyed the inside cabin too. This will be our first time w/an inside cabin (I misunderstood DH when I asked him about the cabin... would have only cost $200 more for the entire trip!).

 

Boltnut, have you joined our rollcall for the March10th trip?

[TorontoTL]

We were onboard sometime after 12 noon. I can't remember exactly. It seemed to me that embarkation had been going on for some time already because by the time I made it up to Horizon Court there were quite a few people there already.

 

I don't know if you can prereserve the golf carts but they are available just outside the area where the tenders dock. When you get your excursion information it will be there if it is available through Princess. I believe that Catalina Island has a visitor's website that might provide more information on it. Someone on this board probably has the address or you could google it too.

 

Brian, as you know I enjoyed your past reviews and everything you said about the Dawn was true. It really helped me make the decision to book this cruise, so I must thank you for all of your help in the past. Hopefully if we're in SF again we can meet for a coffee.

[cruzinchris]

Benny,

Thanks for the comprehensive review. DH and I have already booked the Dawn for 1/25/07 - the 11-night itinerary that now includes Acapulco (but not Catalina). Our only Princess experience to date is on "grand" class ships, but we are definitely looking forward to a smaller ship and longer itinerary.

 

Long before we sail on the Dawn, we will make several visits to Toronto. We live in north-suburban Detroit and are about 3.5 hours from Toronto via Port Huron/Sarnia. We have season tickets to the National Ballet of Canada. Next visit on 2/25 and another 5/13. We stay at the downtown Marriott and have been enjoying dinners at Oro that is easy walking distance from the hotel. Toronto has always been among our favorite places to visit (when we can't be on a Princess ship or on Mackinac Island).

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Chris

[bdjam]

Brian, as you know I enjoyed your past reviews and everything you said about the Dawn was true. It really helped me make the decision to book this cruise, so I must thank you for all of your help in the past. Hopefully if we're in SF again we can meet for a coffee.

You are certainly welcome, my friend. Thanks for the kind words. And when you get back here later in the year, you’re on for a meet!