SHIP FACTS
Maiden Voyage: 1997
Registry: Great Britain
Officers: Italian
Crew: International
Gross Tons: 77,000
Length (ft.): 856
Beam (ft.): 106
Passengers: 1970
Stability Rating: Excellent
Dinner Seatings: 2
Cuisine: Continental and International
Dress Code: Traditional
Dawn Princess - along with its sister ships Sun and Sea - creates paradise on the high seas. Featuring a wrap-around Promenade Deck, this spectacular ship has more than 400 balcony staterooms to enjoy the ever-changing scenery and two spacious decks. Hot spots include two show lounges with nightly entertainment, and plenty of elegant and casual dining options from gourmet pizza to grilled steaks.
Dining
The Venetian and Florentine Dining Rooms are virtually identical dining rooms mirroring exquisite murals depicting Venice and Florence. Both rooms contain lovely wood and etched glass panels which create a feeling of intimate dining.
La Scala Pizzeria, another alternative for lunch or dinner is a lovely slice of Italy with delicious pizza and calzones. You'll also find Sundaes, a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar nearby. Then there is the Balcony Grill which overlooks the pool deck and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers hot dogs, burgers and wursts.
Public Rooms
You'll find elegantly appointed public areas, including a stunning art collection and an abundance of live foliage throughout Dawn Princess. The soaring central Atrium includes The Atrium Bar with a magnificent stained glass ceiling. It's a quiet place for people-watching and pre-dinner cocktails. You'll often encounter a string quartet or a pianist who serenades guests lingering over the lounges' cocktails or espresso.
Passages Library is one of the most elegant libraries afloat, well stocked with hundreds of recent hardcover books, a paperback book exchange, CDs and audiocassettes. Warm mahogany bookcases, Wedgwood blue carpets and Old World accents create a cozy reading area, offering a great view of the sea from 13 soft leather stuffed chairs, a half-dozen of which have CD playback with headsets for whiling away the hours.
The Card Room next door carries the same decor and has a dozen tables for games and bridge. Bridge competitions are held regularly under the supervision of guest masters.
Entertainment
Entertainment is fairly standard cruise fare: big production revues, cabaret with comedians, ventriloquists and jugglers. Talented singers and dancers perform in both show lounges. Dawn Princess features two fine show venues. The Princess Theater, decorated in a rich burgundy, is one of the best production theaters afloat: state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a huge stage, comfortable theater-style seating, no distracting tables or bar service and excellent sight lines from each of the theater's 550 seats. The theater is also used for enrichment lectures and movies.
Jammer's Nightclub is open until the early morning hours and is popular with passengers of all ages. Different nights feature the music of different decades from the 50's to the 90's, as well as Karaoke. Done in gray and mauve, it has carpets with a celestial motif and neon tubes snaking across the ceiling for a startling night sky effect.
Magnum's, with desert cactus window boxes and black marble sea creatures, is opposite Jammer's nightclub and makes an interesting land/sea venue for caviar and champagne.
The Casino has an abundance of slot machines, plus eight blackjack tables, roulette and a craps table -- all of which stay lively in the evening.
The Atrium Bar on the third level of the atrium has a magnificent stained glass ceiling just off the atrium's opening. It's a quiet place for people-watching and pre-dinner cocktails.
Fitness & Recreation
Dawn Princess' fitness facilities include state-of-the-art Lifecycle, Stairmaster, rowing machines, weights and treadmill workout equipment, located in a glass-walled health center off the stern of the ship, offering striking views while you exercise. But there is a limited number of treadmills, often requiring day-before signup (during port days, the equipment is most available after 10 a.m. and before 4 p.m.).
The Oasis Spa facilities also offer free sauna and steam rooms, as well as a full range of spa treatments and services. But book early. Appointments for sea days fill up within a few hours on embarkation day.
The pool deck has a choice of three swimming pools, two tiered mid-ships and one shaded by a dome aft in the center of the Spa area. All have whirlpools adjacent. There are 93,000 square feet of open deck space and during a day at sea you'll find plenty of open or secluded areas for sunning, but get out on deck early if you want a lounge chair. They're gone by 10 a.m..
