Cruise Reviews
Cruise Line: Princess Cruise Lines
Ship: Dawn Princess
Date of Cruise: December 1999
A December Cruise in the Southern Caribbean
By: Cathy
Our Dawn Princess cruise was everything we had anticipated it to be, and more. The ship was absolutely beautiful -- and we made every nook and cranny of it our own. Our stateroom had a balcony on which we had room service morning coffee most days, and evening champagne a couple of nights before dinner.
Having previously cruised during winter months, we decided to arrive in San Juan a day prior to sailing. I highly recommend this tactic, as winter weather in the northeast can be so unpredictable -- you don't want to be snowed in and miss your sail away time! We at the Radisson in Condado -- a great hotel, and festively decorated for the upcoming Christmas / "millennium" New Year season.
The next morning we checked out and took the 10-minute taxi ride to the ship at about noon so we could get on board and situated in our stateroom as early as possible. Again, another highly recommended tactic -- passengers are usually able to board prior to the scheduled embarkation time, and your luggage seems to be delivered to your stateroom more swiftly when it's not caught in the heavy volume of baggage from the majority of passengers who arrive later in the day.
Sail away was on time, and quite festive, with Caribbean music, tropical drinks, and fireworks! on the banks of Old San Juan.
Our first day was at sea. We slept late, went to the lavish breakfast buffet and indulged in every breakfast food imaginable. The food was fresh, hot, and quite tasty. Then we hung out on the pool deck, played a raucous (and unprofitable) round of bingo in one of the comfortable show lounges, and capped the afternoon off having our scheduled pedicures at the well-appointed spa.
After an evening champagne on our balcony, we headed to late seating dinner in the tastefully appointed dining room. Our meal that night was wonderful. We requested a mixed table for 8, and our tablemates (2 young newlywed couples, and one older couple from Vancouver, by way of Israel) were as friendly as could be. We enjoyed every night of the week at our table. Every dinner offered a good variety, and the quality of food -- soups, appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts, and after dinner coffee -- was consistently high. Service was exceptional. The first formal night (there were two) was quite elegant, with tuxes and sequins everywhere you
looked.
After dinner, we checked out a show, which was very entertaining. Then off to the casino to try our luck before bedtime. (All I can say about the casino is, don't quit your day job!)
The mid-December in the southern Caribbean is not predictable. All of the days were not sunny, but the temperature each day ranged from warm to hot during the day, and never dipped below 65 in the evenings. We spent each of our port days combining shore activities (shopping, touring, beaching and relaxing at local bars) and ship activities (culinary demonstrations, galley tours, a wine tasting, an art auctions, and, naturally, bingo. (Don't quit your day job!)
Our first port was Aruba -- beautiful place, and a beautiful, sunny day to go with it! Great shopping, great casinos and (from what we heard from friends on board ship) great beaches. We didn't make it to the beach as planned because the shopping got to good to leave. Bargains galore!
Next day was La Guaira (port town of Caracas, Venezuela). When we arrived, a light rainfall had just begun. It rained intermittently all day so we opted not to take the (time consuming) city tour that involved a lot of travel over narrow, twisting mountain roads. We bought some souvenirs at the cruise terminal, walked across the bridge just so we could say we'd touched Venezuelan soil, then got back on board, got massages, and caught up on our champagne drinking. Thank God we did -- the people we talked to that did tour said they weren't sure they'd make
it back to the ship, the roads were in such bad condition. As we sailed away, little did we know that those rains would continue for nearly a week, would result in all of the flooding, death and destruction that was occurred in Venezuela last December.
The next day, Grenada. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we tendered to shore and spend half the day on a wide, white sand beach framed with palm trees. The water was crystal clear, with nice waves good enough for body surfing. There were vendors all over the beach selling jewelry, the ubiquitous spices, and assorted trinkets. The vendors weren't too pushy, and some of them were downright friendly - one of the guys bought me and my companion a couple of beers, sat down, and proceeded to "serenade" us with the sweetest little song I've ever heard! I'd go back to Grenada anytime!
By then it was Friday (the week was flying by so quickly!), and we arrived at Dominica. This was one of the highlights of the trip to me. We took one of Princess' all-day rainforest/waterfall tours, and spent several hours in the rain forest. It was actually raining (hard) on the mountain, but in the rain forest you barely felt a drizzle, the tree cover was so dense. The light was kind of how it is just before dusk -- not bright, but not at all dark. The flora and vegetation were phenomenal, and there
were crystal clear streams and waterfalls everywhere. Our tour guide and driver were excellent, and they extended the length of the tour such that we barely made it back to the ship before sailing time. As we sailed away, we sat on the balcony, sipping (you guessed it!) champagne, and watching a big, bright, perfect arc rainbow that framed the town and the surrounding green hills. I'd absolutely go back there, too . . .
Then came Saturday in St. Thomas. We had visited the island many times in the past, had already shopped to our heart's content, and it was overcast so we decided not to revisit Magen's Bay beach. We ran across the street from the dock to an oh-so-convenient duty-free shopping mall and picked up our requisite 6-liter-each allotment of liquor (literally half of stateside prices!), then came back to the ship and had our first luncheon in the dining room -- leisurely, delicious, four-courses. Afternoon meant one last round of bingo - unbelievably I came within ONE number (N-39) of winning the $2250 jackpot! (I still have my day job...)
Saturday night started with the hustle bustle insanity of packing. Finally, our four bulging suitcases (we came with 3) were closed and placed outside the stateroom for pick up by the luggage crew. I like the way Princess suggests that you pack before dinner -- then you have the whole evening and night to do whatever you want, without worrying about packing at the last minute. We wined, we dined, we traded addresses and hugs with our dinner mates, then headed to catch "The Sixth Sense" in the movie theater. Then it was off to the champagne bar and lastly to the
casino to wrap up the night.
Sunday's disembarkation was a breeze -- Princess is very efficient. Customs guys just gave us a nod, and Continental had curbside luggage checking right at the dock so we never had to touch our bags until we arrived at Washington National that night. Other than lugging two heavy carry-ons plus two boxes of duty-free liquor on board the plane, our travel home was pleasant.
When we got home to Washington, it was 32 degrees. . . .
