Toward the end of our first week aboard the Dawn Princess, thankfully, we sailed out of the heavy swells of the Tasman Sea. I was not affected by the ship’s motion and Gail handled it very well except for one period where she was feeling slightly unwell. We have heard of some travellers who were affected much more than we. During these few days the ship’s swimming pools were not open, in fact they became mini tsunamis with waves sloshing to several feet above the pool deck.
By contrast, sailing through the inside passage of the Great Barrier Reef just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, protected by the outer reef, seas were nearly calm and temperatures rose daily. I suspect seas here were anything but calm one week earlier as this was the path taken by Tropical Cyclone Ita. I shudder to think of the effect 200 kph winds would have on a ship such as ours. Temperatures approaching the tropics rose to the 27°C mark with warmer temperatures expected while we are north of the Tropic of Capricorn. As I am writing this the Dawn Princess is sailing a southerly course from Indonesia to Perth. More than three days at sea during which time we will leave the tropics. The seas are gradually becoming rougher as we sail southward. They are probably worse than in the Tasman sea but fewer passengers seem affected. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate later today and we will be able to view the expected partial solar eclipse.
The Dawn Princess is a Sun Class vessel, Smaller than the 3,000 passenger Grand Class ships sailed by Princess and larger than the 700 passenger R-Ships, the Dawn carries about 1,900. Passenger elevators travel between Deck 4, the infirmary and tender boarding area to deck 14 where the buffet is located. There is, of course, no thirteen. Decks 8 through 11 are almost entirely passenger staterooms and the majority of the staterooms on the outside have small balconies. All balconies are “sheltered,” which means they are essentially rectangular openings in the ship’s hull extending from about knee level to a few centimetres below the deck above. A railing guards the opening up to chest level. On most newer cruise ships balconies are much more open and exposed for almost the entire length of the vessel.
- Ship Class: Sun
- Launched: 1997
- Refurbished: June 2009
- GRT: 77,499 (8,293 DWT)
- Length: 266 m (873 ft)
- Draft: 8.3 m (27 ft)
- Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) (maximum)
- Passengers: 1,998
- Crew: 900
- Installed power: 46,080 kW (combined)
- Propulsion: Diesel-electric; two shafts
The Dawn has a number of food service areas. Two main dining rooms occupy substantial portions of decks 5 and 6 immediately aft of the central atrium. A large buffet on deck 14, with serving areas port and starboard, occupies an area from the forward lifts to the forward limits of the deck. Only a small outdoor viewing are is further forward on deck 14. The aft end of deck 14 is occupied by yet another outdoor bar with the spa and gym below on deck 12. There is no interior passageway between the buffet and areas further aft, and the intervening space contains a bar, outdoor grill, two pools, hot tubs, and numerous deck recliners that service sun bathers and movie watchers. The large, daylight-viewable movie screen is referred to as Movies Under the Stars. This mid ship recreational area merges decks 12 and 14. The extreme aft portions of decks 12 and 14 provide viewing areas and access to the small Spa Pool on deck 12.
Passenger accommodation decks 10 and 11 have private, more-or-less, forward observation balconies. Any passenger who is aware of them can use them but they can be accessed only from stateroom areas on the respective decks and can barely be seen from more easily accessed areas below or above. The crew pool and outdoor recreation area on deck 8 forward and can be seen from the higher balconies..
The Atrium area on the Dawn Princess might be described as two intersecting cylinders, the forward cylinder encompassing decks 5 and 6 with the aft section rising from deck 5 to deck 8. Gently curving stairs link each level and a pair of elevators (lifts) with glass walls overlooking the Atrium shuttle between deck 5 and 8. A Pizzeria surrounds the rearmost Atrium on deck 8. Aft of the Pizzeria is the Casino. The deck 7 Atrium Bar has a white piano at the edge of a circular piazza and a solo entertainer offers evening music. Shops surround both sections of the deck 6 Atrium and merchandising tables are set up outside their shops on a daily basis, at least when at sea. The Venetian dining room entrance is immediately aft of the Atrium on deck 6. The Florentine Dining room is immediately below on deck 5 with Passenger Services, the Tour Office and another bar completing the Atrium tour. Areas forward of the Atrium on decks 5 and 5 contain passenger staterooms.
Returning to deck 7, the promenade deck is the only place on the Dawn Princess where you can walk completely around the ship’s exterior without stairs. There is a short interior section at the bow that provides an interesting look at the forward mooring deck. Three laps around the deck is one mile and there are a few who regularly do laps in a counterclockwise direction. Attempt to walk the deck in a clockwise direction at your peril. The forward interior section of Deck 7 houses the Wheelhouse Bar and the Princess Theatre, right at the pointy end. There are only crew areas forward of the theatre. Aft of the Atrium on the port side there is Jammers Disco, isolated by nearly soundproof revolving doors, a small library with actual books on real shelves and the Internet Cafe. Fortunately the chairs in the Internet Cafe are quite comfortable, a good thing sometimes when waiting for a page to display. On the starboard side of the ship aft of the Atrium is a small art gallery, the Magnum Bar and the Photo Shop. Here you can find every photo take by ship’s photographers posted on display boards, lots of them, and you can purchase cameras and supplies here too. The aftermost end of deck 7 is occupied by the Vista Lounge, the largest theatre area on the ship. It provides cabaret style seating and is used by various performers and for an array of activities.
Completing the ship’s tour, there is a medical centre and infirmary on deck 4, not a place you really want to visit. The only other time this deck is used by passengers would be when embarking or disembarking the ship’s tenders. The remainder of deck 4 is in accessible for passengers as are lower decks. The ship’s bridge is on deck 12 and the bridge wings are not fully enclosed but are covered by canvas. If you wish to explore further there are a number of photos in the online gallery, HERE!