Name Dawn Princess Operator Princess Cruises Length 266 m Draft 8.2 m Builder Fincantieri | Owner Carnival plc Cost US$300 million Launched 11 July 1996 Beam 32 m | |
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Port of registry Liberia, Monrovia (1996–2000)
Bermuda, Hamilton (2000–present) Route Australia and New Zealand | ||
Dawn princess comprehensive tour
Dawn Princess is a Sun-class cruise ship built by Fincantieri, Italy, in 1997 and operated by Princess Cruises. The ship features eight restaurants, four swimming pools, five Jacuzzis, seven lounges and bars, and two children centres. Some restaurants offer “anytime dining” where passengers can dine with whom they want, when they want. She is the sister ship to Sun Princess, P&O's Oceana (former Ocean Princess) and Sea Princess.
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Dawn princess ship tour overview
Ports of call
Dawn Princess was targeted to replace Pacific Princess, sailing Australian waters between October 2006 and March 2007, to become the largest ship ever to be based in Australia, but these plans were eventually replaced by Sun Princess as well as being served by Pacific Dawn (previously christened Regal Princess). Dawn Princess is now in Australia as of September 24, 2008, beginning its run with a 28-day itinerary circumnavigating Australia, after a month serving Hawaii, Tahiti, and the South Pacific. From this point on, Dawn Princess will remain in Australia permanently sailing from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth alongside Sun Princess.
Refurbishment
In June 2009, Dawn Princess was dry-docked in Brisbane, Australia, for refurbishment. During the refit, a Movies Under the Stars screen was added to the main pool area, making Dawn Princess the tenth ship in the Princess fleet to offer this feature. Another addition was the Sanctuary, an adults-only private sunbathing area at the front of the ship, as well as a refurbishment of the photo gallery and maintenance of other public rooms.
Accidents and incidents
On 31 October 2011, it was announced that a technical fault in the propulsion system caused the ship to sail at reduced speed, what would cause a delay in the departure of its next cruise scheduled to depart from Sydney on 1 November 2011. This fault was not deemed to compromise safety of passengers and crew.
P&O Cruises Australia
On October 7, 2015, Carnival announced that the Dawn Princess would be transferred to its Australian subsidiary P&O Cruises Australia as the Pacific Explorer in May 2017. With the transfer, the Pacific Explorer will become the flagship of the P&O Australia fleet.
