Dawn Princess Review
3.5 / 5.0
0 reviews
Lana28
10+ Cruises • Age 70s
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Additional details
Sail Date: Apr 2016
Cabin: Interior
Chose this cruise as we had been to New Zealand before on Sun Princess but didn't get into Milford Sound, Dunedin and Napier. This time we did.
The ship was full but we didn't seem to have the same jostling for tables in the Horizon. We always managed to get one. The food on this particular cruise was about the best food I've ever had on a cruise ship, the menu wasn't repetitive and the choices were wide and varied. Aussie Chef Curtis Stone had developed a few dishes which were on the 'always available' menu and they were delicious.
Ports were numerous , we were in port 7 days straight so it was 'up and at it' each day but the weather held out for most of them. We had to pay for shuttles in a couple of the ports which was a surprise. Some were working ports so you had to go on some sort of transport to leave the port.
Cabin Review
Interior
Cabin IE
The cabins were really small and we thought ours was until we saw some others. We always have a queen bed but this left no room for us to get out at night, we would bump into the wardrobe or dresser. We gave our cabin girl some Dollars to separate the beds to 2 singles. This gave us more room to get dressed and we just dealt with it. I questioned the size and asked for anything else even if we had to pay but was informed that the ship was 'full'
Port Reviews
Dunedin
We did a 2 hour city tour and got to see areas of Dunedin not normally visited if we just walked around the town.
Napier
Beautiful place, we only had a few hours here but would have been better if we had a whole day. Did shopping and coffe and walked around the bay. Loved it.
Tauranga
Hubby wanted me to see this area as he had been there 46 years ago. Unfortunately it was very active back then but in those years had settled down a lot. Still beautiful, had a wonderful guide and the trip on the lake was lovely. Also included lunch
Auckland
Absolutely fabulous. We visited an amazing Boutique winery and learned about the early days of wine making by the Croatians in Auckland. Went to a second winery where they paired wine with cheese. Wonderful experience.
Bay of Islands
This was a wonderful experience. The caves were amazing. Warning: Many steps to climb over the top of the mountain and down again!!
Wellington
Been to Wellington before so wanted to do something different this time. After visiting the Mauri cultural centre e went to the War Memorial. We then took a taxi back into town to pick up our 2 hour tour in and around Wellington. We got to see some beaches and other perspective of Wellington.
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