NCL Dawn review for first time cruisers 7/3-710

Jocka and Maria Q and A- Day 7, 2:15 stardust theater

Since we missed the Jocka and Maria show, we made a point to attend the question and answers. This event was fairly well attended, and the people who came seemed really impressed with the aerialists. Jocka and Maria were dressed casually and had a lot of their gear and equipment on the stage. An NCL crew member walked around with a microphone and allowed the audience to ask questions. There were a lot of questions about their history and techniques.

When the audience asked about a particular trick or technique, they would explain it in detail and then demonstrate it on stage. It was wonderful to hear how they performed their act, and then see it. They are both charming and obviously extremely talented and hard working. I would recommend seeing this Q and A session. more to come:)

The show Band ballroom and more-Spinnaker, 6:45pm day 5

We really enjoyed the music during the production shows, so we decided to go and listen to the show band. We also like dancing, however not many people were dancing during this performance. I really like horn players, and these folks were really a joy to listen to. It was one of the many musical performances we listen to. On the ship, there is music almost anywhere you wander.

Masquerade duo-these two sang in the atrium almost every night and drew a large crowd.

Great ideas-This was the party band and played at the oasis pool and in the night club.

Luke, The piano, the voice played in Gatsby’s. On day 4-, he played an Elton john Billy Joel tribute, which was wonderful.

To be continued with our experiences in Bermuda:)

Thanks for this.

I will be on the Dawn fairly soon.

I am not a drinker, so I skipped over your extensive "bar" section, though I have to comment that the crowds at the first bar you mentioned were likely due to a lot of people having the free UBP, as you did.

Did you notice how crowded the specialties were? I know you didn't go to any, but were they jammed for most of their open hours? I worry that might occur because so many people have the UDP.

Regarding the karaoke, was there a contest at the end of the cruise? At the adult karaoke nights, were kids allowed to attend (but not sing?) I ask this because we like to go to karaoke every single night, but we also have a 4-year-old.

Thanks for this.

 

Did you notice how crowded the specialties were? I know you didn't go to any, but were they jammed for most of their open hours? I worry that might occur because so many people have the UDP.

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Most of the specialties were booked solid every night with the exception of Moderno. They were not overbooked, though. We did have difficulty changing reservations a couple of times. La Cucina was easier to get into than say Cagney's.

One thing that ticked me off, I screwed up the date/time of our Tempanyaki reservation. They were going to try to squeeze in a 5th person for us but instead DD ate with the kids that night. When we got to dinner, an entire 4 person party didn't show up for the meal. We ended up waiting for them and eventually had the meal without them. If you're going to have to miss a specialty restaurant, have the courtesy to cancel it so they know. That's my biggest complaint about the UDP is people not caring or taking the reservations seriously. We chose to change our 8:30 Cagney's reservation on the last night to an earlier meal at La Cucina and I ran over and had them change it as soon as we made the decision. I figured that way someone else who wanted to go to Cagney's could. You know, simple courtesy ;)

Great job on the review!

I'll be on the Dawn for the 2nd time in less than two weeks but it will be my first time having the UBP:) so I found your reviews of the bars to be particularly relevant to me.

Thanks so much for this great review. We will be cruising on the Dawn in the fall for New England/Canada. First cruise ever and you have given me a lot of great info!

What a wonderful review. Packed full of helpful info. I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences in Bermuda. We are sailing the Dawn in October and you are making me look forward to it (I was getting a bit nervous due to the bad rap the Dawn has been getting lately).

Cheers

Sandy

Poker pro-I believe that Gail posted below with information about the specialty restaurants. I did see a few older children in Pearly King, and many did sing with parents earlier in the night. The Pub is kind of a main walkway through the ship, so it was not unusual to see a whole family sit for awhile and watch. I did not see or read about any contests in the freestyle daily…sorry.

Gail, thank you for adding that information, I am sorry to hear about your experience with the reservations:(

Andoria, thank you I hope you have a great time!

Synderela, Thank you, I hope you write a review of your cruise!

Samstress-I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Bermuda!

As I have said before, I am a nervous and inexperienced traveler. I did a lot of research in order to plan our time in Bermuda. Most people talked about how easy it is to use the public buses and ferries. I did read comments about how different and more limited the schedules are on Sundays and holidays.

I decided to take ship sponsored excursions on the first day, Sunday, to get exposed to Bermuda. We also decided to take the ship excursion to Horse shoe bay beach on the last day. I had read many stories about people missing the ship, and decided I would pay a bit more for my own piece of mind. If you are a more experienced or confident traveler, you could easily manage self guided trips here.

I felt brave enough, with the advice from these boards, to try to get around by ourselves on day 2. I will say, now that I have some experience in Bermuda, I will use the public transportation only on my next trip, and save quite a bit of money.

I booked our day one excursions online about a month before the trip; the excursions cost a few dollars more when you book once you get on the ship.

Bermuda: Day One.

We arrived in Bermuda at 11, and watched the Ship dock from the promenade deck, that is the outside on deck 7. We had a shore excursion booked for 2 pm, so we decided to head out and explore the dockyard. I found all of the different transportation options a little overwhelming at first. There are buses, shuttles, taxis, vans and people everywhere! However, the woman at the transportation kiosk helped identify which was which and I felt more confident. I will talk about what I learned on day 2 a bit later.

Once the ship is docked in Bermuda, you can get on and off whenever you want, for the entire time. At peak times, there are two ways on and off the ship, deck 4 forward and deck 4 aft. During less busy times, they will close one entrance.

For U.S. citizens, you must have your ship card and photo ID to get off and especially back on the ship. I am not sure what you need for non U.S.citizens. I must have seen a dozen people turned back to their cabin for not having the ship card. We also saw several people waiting while a family member went into the ship to get their photo ID so they could get back on the ship.

When you get off, they will scan your ship card and you will walk down a walkway onto the dock. There is a small building that you pass through, which has officials who check again and let you out. They have a metal detector and they may search your bags.

You cannot take fruit off the ship. There was a huge pile of fruit on the table, every morning that was confiscated. You CAN take water bottles and sealed food like granola bars. You can also take the beach towels from your cabin.

Once out of the building, you can meet your tour group or access buses and ferries. There is a free shuttle that looks like a mini train that does a circuit of the dockyard, you can just hop on and off.

We strolled over to the Clock tower Mall, passed all the interesting buildings and sights, of the Dockyard. There is a park area, victualling yard, several restaurants and many little shops. The mall itself is small, and most of the shops seemed very similar to me. The prices were high, but this is to be expected. The best thing was that it was cool! The air conditioning was great after being in the strong Bermuda sun.

We went into the pharmacy, which had all the personal items you may have forgotten to pack. You should expect to pay about double what items cost here. The glass blowing shop was amazing and the things were so beautiful. They have demonstrations, but we didn’t get to see them as we only had a few minutes to look around. There were bowls, ornaments, vases…almost anything that can be made from glass. I would be careful with small children here:)

After walking around the dockyard, we headed back to the ship to grab a quick lunch in the Garden Café and get ready for our snorkel excursion. I was surprised by how many people stayed on the ship. I expected everyone to be in a rush to get off and explore Bermuda. A lot of people that we spoke to have been on this trip many times and said they like to relax on the ship the first port day.

Rising Sun II Swim and Snorkel excursion.

We went on the Rising Sun II swim and Snorkel excursion in the afternoon. The trip was 3 hours long and left from the Dockyard. We booked this excursion for the first day because, as I mentioned, I was a little nervous about using the public transportation on a Sunday.

Your excursion tickets will be in your room the night before, with instructions about where and when to meet your group for the excursion. Most meet right outside the terminal building on the pier. There will be an NCL staff holding a sign. Don’t be late because a few people were left behind, the Catamaran leaves right on time!

The Rising Sun II was large and stable with plenty of seating. You can sit inside in the shade or outside in the front on the netting over the water. We sat outside and laid our towels on the netting. The netting is like criss crossed seat belts.

You can purchase rum punch and beer on the way to the Snorkel site. On the return trip the rum punch is free, *and FULL of rum! You can get a cup of water for free the whole trip. There is about a half hour ride to the snorkel site, the crew will sit with you and talk about the island. They were very entertaining and we learned a lot about what it is like to live and work in Bermuda.

When we arrived at the site, it was very crowded with a lot of locals. Our guide told us that on Sunday there are a lot of Bermudian families out on their boats in these hidden coves. They parked the boat off to the side and gave a brief safety talk.

The area had a small sandy beach and tall cliffs filled with little caves and crevices to explore. The water was clear and very warm. They offered a few paddle boards to share and snorkel gear. The kids seemed to really like the boards, and were very good about sharing them. The snorkel gear was a bit old and a little leaky, if you have it, I would bring your own.

We snorkeled and swam for about two hours and saw a lot of fish, sea fans and coral. The fish were colorful and some were very big! The sea fans are a beautiful purple color. After about two hours we got back on the boat. You have to climb a small ladder, which should be okay for most, but be careful if you have knee problems.

The return trip was just as entertaining, maybe more so because everyone was having free rum punch! Overall, I would say that this is a great trip for families, or anyone who wants a low key, easy snorkel with a lot of things to see. I think it cost $89 per person through NCL, I am sure it is less if you book independently.

The trip returned exactly on time. When they help you off the boat you can give them a tip if you would like. It seemed truly optional, we gave them $20, because they were so wonderful. I would say about ½ the people tipped and half did not. When we got back, we rushed to get changed and grab something to eat in the Garden Café because we booked a sunset rum cruise for 7:30.

Gosling’s Sunset Rum Cruise excursion

I booked this excursion, online, for day 1 because I didn’t want a deadline when we self explored the island. It was a little difficult to find a variety of reviews for this excursion. I found plenty of reviews for the sunset cruises, but not Gosling’s rum cruise. However, the ten or so that I did find all seemed positive. The cruise is 1 and ½ hours and cost $54 per person. ($57 if you book on the ship). It leaves right from the pier in front of the ship.

The crew was very engaging; from the first moment we met the young woman who took us to the boat. It was a boat with two floors, both covered with open sides. The main presentation is on the top floor, but the drinks are made downstairs.

There was one gentleman who could not do stairs and sat on the bottom floor, I am not sure if he heard the presentation. However, I could hear him laughing and chatting with the woman who prepared the drinks. Of course, I can’t speak for him but it sounded like he enjoyed the trip. On the top deck there were plastic lawn type chairs. They were stable and comfortable.

The trip is a slow cruise around the island as the sun sets. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. By the time we set out, at 7:30pm, it had cooled down and there was a slight breeze. I hate to say anything is perfect, but this cruise around Bermuda was as close as I have experienced!

As we cruised around the island, our host gave a presentation about the history of rum making on the island and the Gosling brand. He also sprinkled in information about the houses we saw and his experience living in Bermuda.

There was a sampling of different drinks. Starting with a rum swizzle, light rum, dark rum, a dark and stormy and aged rum. Our host explained the flavors and characteristics of each one and demonstrated how to make drinks with them. I had no idea that rum was so complex. Finally, we had a sample of three different flavors of rum cake.

These samples were larger than I expected and I felt like I had experienced two or three full drinks and a dessert! They do have a bar, but no one used it. I am not sure you would have time, between samples.

They offer duty free bottles, which you can buy and they will deliver to the ship. Children can go, but I would not recommend it. On this excursion, everyone tipped the crew, and it seemed like that was the expectation. The cruise returned on time.

Overall, I would highly recommend this cruise if you enjoy rum, or just for the beautiful cruise around the island! More to come:)

Thanks for this informative review! I loved the Rising Son ll excursion and it sounds like it's just as fun as ever. The boat was damaged in the storm last year and glad to know they are back!

Atunee-yes it was a great trip, the boat appeared to be all fixed and in perfect condition!

Bermuda, day 2-St George, The Crystal caves and Zoo and Aquarium

After reading all of the helpful tips on these boards, we decided that on our second day in Bermuda, we would head off and explore on our own.

We purchased one day passes from the shore excursion desk on the ship. This desk is in the atrium. You can buy day passes here, but I don’t believe you can buy individual tokens. You can buy passes and tokens from the kiosk right of the ship, or the visitor’s center, a short walk into the dockyard.

The woman who works at the Kiosk was so helpful and explained every step that I needed to take to get around Bermuda!

One thing I learned in Bermuda is to never be afraid to ask questions, people are so kind and helpful. This helpful attitude includes Bermudians, NCL staff and other passengers. Some of the best advice I got was from the cruisers standing next to me!

Our plan was to head to St. George first on the earliest ferry. The ferry leaves the Dockyard at 9:30, but the woman at the kiosk said to get there no later than ten past. We got there at 9, and there was already a line forming.

Now normally, waiting 3o minutes for something I would view as an inconvenience. The wonderful thing about Bermuda is that even standing in line can be a great experience. The view and weather are beautiful, and we passed the time chatting with the people near us in the line. This couple had been on this same trip many times and told us all about their favorite places on the island.

The ferry arrived on time and, based on the advice from these seasoned travelers, we decided to sit in the air-conditioned inside section. The seats were very comfortable and the views amazing! The ride took about 35-40 minutes.

The ferry terminal is right near the world heritage center. We stopped in and found a cute little thrift store. We walked up Water Street into King’s square. There are a lot of shops and restaurants along the way and quite a few in King’s Square.

In King’s square, we found a little souvenir shop and bought cute little things for friends at home. They had Christmas ornaments for $9.00 and cute magnets for $4.00. King square has stocks on display and you can watch local children jump into the ocean. This town is beautiful; each building looks old but maintained and gorgeous.

From King’s square, we walked up the Duke of York Street to see the unfinished church. I would recommend that you bring water, because the walk up this hill in July is a little tough…but worth every minute. The Unfinished church is truly unique and not to be missed if you are in St George.

After resting in the shade and admiring the Church, we headed down the hill and explored Somers Garden. The garden is lovely and there are paths and little benches everywhere. The trees and plants have little signs that help identify them. This was such a nice place to rest and plan the rest of our day; I wish I could have a picnic here. They also have a moon gate, which you walk through for luck!

The bus stop is right outside the garden, and we waited there for the bus to the crystal caves. More to come:)

The Crystal and Fantasy Caves

Right up the street from Somers Garden is a bus stop. In Bermuda, the bus stops with the pink poles go toward Hamilton, and the blue poles head out of Hamilton. We waited at the bus stop for any bus with the number 1,3,10, or 11. We waited for about ten minutes and when the bus came, it was ½ empty.

The seats were comfortable and it felt cool after being in the hot sun. The bus ride itself was an adventure; they drive very fast in Bermuda on very narrow roads!

We arrived at The Caves in about 30 minutes, the bus stops often. You will know that you are at the Caves bus stop, when you see the Swizzle inn. We asked the bus driver to tell us when we got to our stop, but it is hard to hear after the bus gets full.

When you get off, look for the ice cream shop and there is a sign for the caves right in front. You will follow a path through a beautiful park and get to the ticket building and gift shop. We bought a ticket for both cave tours for $30 each. They will give you a number and call you when your tour group is ready.

While we were waiting, we shopped in the gift shop. They have very cute things, and rocks which you break with a hammer to get to the crystals, which I bought to take home for the kids. They sell water and cold drinks. There is also a little café.

When they call your number, you will head down a set of stairs and meet your tour group and guide. The guide will give a brief talk and overview of the tour and then will lead you on a short walk to the cave entrance. Our group was headed to the Fantasy caves first. The guide will warn you about the number of steps, and how slippery they are. You should wear good, non-slip shoes.

When we got to the entrance, we waited for another group to come out. I had read the reviews, but was still not prepared to see fit 2o year olds huffing and puffing and covered in sweat as they came to the top! Lucky for us, our guide said that because he is older, he takes the steps more slowly.

As we entered the caves, it immediately became cooler and darker. There are handrails on both sides because the steps are steep and wet. I would suggest a backpack or cross body bag for this trip, you may need two hands.

The caves are amazing! I have never seen anything like them in my life, and even the best pictures don’t do it justice. The rock formations are incredible and there is a lake at the bottom. All of the formations have cute names, and our guide took his time to explain each one.

When I looked up, a drop of the water from a formation went into my eye. It really burned! The lady next to me said that I had been blessed by the caves:)

When the tour was over, we went back up the stairs. It was hard and I can see why people were huffing, but so worth it. I think the caves are something you should see at least once in your life. It was very hot and we were a bit tired, so we decided to head to the famous Swizzle Inn for lunch before doing the next cave. To be continued:)

amybeth28 - I loved how you wrote your review. I will be on the Dawn in January. I will be visiting different ports but I absolutely love your review of the Dawn and all she has to offer. Very informative. I copied and pasted the parts about the ship into my own word document so I can reference it from time to time and share it with my travel buddies. Thanks so much!:D

Thanks for the review. Are kids allowed in the main pool on deck 12?

Rumpunchgirl-Thank you so much, I will talk more about the ship later in the review. From your signature it looks like you have cruised with carnival a lot, I am wondering what you will think when you compare the two? I have read great things about carnival on these boards too.

Otsbork-yes, the pool is filled with kids of all ages. They also have the T-rex kids pool for the youngest ones.

Swizzle inn-

We decided to go to the swizzle Inn for lunch, based on recommendations on these boards. Several people in Bermuda told us that during your trip, you have to try a Dark and Stormy, a Rum Swizzle and the Fish Chowder.

The Swizzle inn is across the street from the caves and has a bus stop right in front. It was really busy and there were no seats inside. We sat outside where each table has a sun umbrella or cover. Even though it was hot, it was nice to sit in the shade and feel the breeze. The place was full of couples and families; everyone was very casually dressed in shorts and tee shirts.

Even the décor is busy, decorations and signs cover every inch of the walls, and the tables are very close together. It is loud, in the fun way that crowded family restaurants can be. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and there is a lot of talking between tables as people compared notes.

I was surprised at how fast the service as considering the crowd. A waitress came with menus immediately after we sat down. The service was fast and efficient, but in such a busy place there was no extraneous chatting.

We started by ordering a pitcher of rum swizzle, $23. You can also get a half pitcher. The pitcher had enough for about 5 small drinks. It was delicious, but with more of a pineapple flavor than the ones on the rum cruise.

The menu is mostly pub food, burgers, wings, nachos and pizza. However, they did have a few things identified as local favorites, like fish chowder, conch fritters, Rockfish and Fish sandwiches and a Wahoo burger.

You can download the menu online, but just so you get an idea for budgeting your lunch: Wings are 8 for $11, Fish chowder is $8, Fish sandwich is $17.50, a burger is $16, the Rockfish is $31.50, a 12 ounce rib eye is $29.50.

We ordered the fish chowder, which is Bermuda’s national dish. It is thick tomato based chowder with onion. It is seasoned with black rum and a sherry pepper sauce. There is a lot of fish, and it is kind of minced or shredded so that it makes the whole chowder very thick. It is slightly spicy and very rich. It is served with long thin cracker like bread sticks. It was a meal in and of itself, so we didn’t order anything else. Plus, I wanted to save room for the ice cream shop across the street.

Overall, we are glad we went to the famous swizzle Inn and tried the Fish Chowder. It was a fun place and convenient to our plans. I wouldn’t travel all the way there just for this restaurant, but would stop in again if we passed by. More to come.:)

Bailey’s ice cream

After lunch, we crossed the road for ice cream at Bailey’s. It is a cute little place with counter service and seating inside and outside. They have hard serve homemade ice cream in a variety of interesting flavors, like banana coconut, cherry chocolate chip or rum raisin.

I believe that they only take cash. I should mention that you can use American money anyplace in Bermuda. A lot of places will ask if you want change in Bermudian or American.

We tried the pistachio and the dark and stormy, both in waffle cones. I think it cost about $13 or $14 for both. We sat outside under the umbrellas and enjoyed the breeze.

The ice cream was wonderful, rich and dense with a lot of flavor. However, it melts pretty quickly in the warm breeze!

After the ice cream we went to the pink bus stop to catch the number 10 bus to the Bermuda Zoo and Aquarium.

Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo . (BAMZ)

The BAMZ admission is $10 for adults, ages 5-12 is $5, under 5 is free. It is open from 9am-5pm, but the last admission is at 4pm.

They have a natural history museum, with interactive exhibits. It was interesting to learn little bits and pieces about the animals here.

The zoo is designed like a nature walk, and the trails will lead directly into many animal enclosures. There doesn’t seem to be as much separation between you and the animals as I have experienced in American zoos. For example, you can stroll right through the lemur enclosure with the overhead netting. They have exhibits from the Caribbean, Australia, American alligators and some local animals.

There are small areas with benches to rest in the shade. There is also a nice playground and gift shop in the zoo.

When we visited, the Aquarium was under construction, so we could only visit the large tanks in the front. There are benches set up in front of the tanks, and plenty of room for kids to roam around.

This part is air conditioned and we spent about 20 minutes cooling down and watching the huge fish. Some of the fish were as big as a person. It was beautiful and I was sorry we could not see the rest of the aquarium.

I would recommend the BAMZ, especially as an afternoon activity for children. It is inexpensive and there is plenty to see. There was a bus full of kids there during our visit and they were obviously having a great day!

This is such a useful review.Thank you! It's very helpful dividing it into clear sections: We're thinking of taking the Canada/New England cruise on the Dawn next year so don't need the Bermuda info, and we don't go to the casinos onboard. It's great to be able to find the relevant topics so easily. (I also like the fact that you're positive but analytical!)

 

Gosling’s Sunset Rum Cruise excursion

 

I booked this excursion, online, for day 1 because I didn’t want a deadline when we self explored the island. It was a little difficult to find a variety of reviews for this excursion. I found plenty of reviews for the sunset cruises, but not Gosling’s rum cruise. However, the ten or so that I did find all seemed positive. The cruise is 1 and ½ hours and cost $54 per person. ($57 if you book on the ship). It leaves right from the pier in front of the ship.

 

The crew was very engaging; from the first moment we met the young woman who took us to the boat. It was a boat with two floors, both covered with open sides. The main presentation is on the top floor, but the drinks are made downstairs.

 

There was one gentleman who could not do stairs and sat on the bottom floor, I am not sure if he heard the presentation. However, I could hear him laughing and chatting with the woman who prepared the drinks. Of course, I can’t speak for him but it sounded like he enjoyed the trip. On the top deck there were plastic lawn type chairs. They were stable and comfortable.

 

The trip is a slow cruise around the island as the sun sets. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. By the time we set out, at 7:30pm, it had cooled down and there was a slight breeze. I hate to say anything is perfect, but this cruise around Bermuda was as close as I have experienced!

 

As we cruised around the island, our host gave a presentation about the history of rum making on the island and the Gosling brand. He also sprinkled in information about the houses we saw and his experience living in Bermuda.

 

There was a sampling of different drinks. Starting with a rum swizzle, light rum, dark rum, a dark and stormy and aged rum. Our host explained the flavors and characteristics of each one and demonstrated how to make drinks with them. I had no idea that rum was so complex. Finally, we had a sample of three different flavors of rum cake.

 

These samples were larger than I expected and I felt like I had experienced two or three full drinks and a dessert! They do have a bar, but no one used it. I am not sure you would have time, between samples.

 

They offer duty free bottles, which you can buy and they will deliver to the ship. Children can go, but I would not recommend it. On this excursion, everyone tipped the crew, and it seemed like that was the expectation. The cruise returned on time.

 

Overall, I would highly recommend this cruise if you enjoy rum, or just for the beautiful cruise around the island! More to come:)

We were on the same two excursions on day one in Bermuda! small world!