KDebreuil

I was just on the Dawn Aug 15-24. We chose the cruise for the itinerary, not the ship.  The ship was sold out, but rarely felt very crowded.

The ship lacks a forward viewing lounge, or a "great outdoors" space.  The midship elevators are always busy, so use the stairs, or forward or aft elevators.  We had a lot of short port days on our cruise, so everyone was arriving back at the last minute.  Do not be late, we did leave passengers behind in at least 2 ports.

I was not able to meet a 'dietary specialist' and had to ask everynight for pre-orders.  The dietary person has been nice on previous cruises as they were able to make suggestions and knew of having things like gluten free english muffins on board (the Spirit had these, the Dawn did not).  The sundeck was nice, and there were always chairs available.

Overall, the Dawn was not one of our favorite ships.  Our favorites are the Jewel class ships.  Although it is 'close' in design to the Jewel-class ships, it is missing some places, and is harder to navigate than the Jewel class ships.  

The crew were still friendly, and seemed to go out of their way to try to remember individual guests and make a connection.

Feel free to ask me any specific questions, and I'll do my best to answer.  

Ship - Dawn

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 10107

Stateroom Category – inside

Starboard or Port Side - starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

This room is a unique layout.  The door to the stateroom is wider than most.  It opens to the foot of the bed.  The bathroom is to the right, and desk/closet is to the left.  The TV nook is on the right after the bathroom area.  The beds need to stay together as there is not space to separate them without blocking access to the bathroom or closet. 

Room was very quiet.  This room has many north American outlets.  5 north American,  1 eu, and no UK outlets.

I'm sorry to hear that your expectations of travelling as a large group were not met. I am very happy with the result of my BOGO airfare from Canada to Europe. 

This was a deal that convinced me to allow my only child to bring a friend with her, as the airfare was cheaper.  Our flight times to get to Stockholm are right in-line with what I would have booked myself.  And the same can be said for the return trip.  We asked for a couple of days extra at each end, and that was accommodated and went smoothly.

But I'm really happy for the included baggage.  I know that it's not always included, but on all of our flights this time we are allowed 1 free checked bag each.  As we are in Europe for 2 weeks, that is awesome!  And it's an additional saving for me.

Sometimes you take a chance on a deal, and it works out better than you hoped.  Sometimes it causes issues.  I hope you have better luck next time.

Starlink was active on the Breakaway when I was on it in March in the Caribbean.  I don't use internet too much when I'm vacation.  I had some issues connecting to work services as the GeoIP services change depending on what land-based station the signal comes back to.  I feel it's better than the traditional service.

My WiFi experience on ships has been mixed.  In March I was on the NCL Breakaway, which has StarLink, and was fine.  Until other ships have been changed over, I expect crappy internet service.  There is limited specialty dining availability to pre-book, so many people will be booking that as soon as they get on-board.  I plan ahead, and I've never had a problem with the specialty dining availability. I can't comment on the excursions, as I usually book independent excursions, and don't use the cruise line.

We've done 3 cruises with NCL making the flight arrangements.  All 3 times the flight choices have been ones that I would have made myself.  I have not had any connections less than 75 minutes.  I fly from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, so my flight options are pretty bad to start with.  I suggest getting into your departure port a day or two ahead of time so that you can explore it, and enjoy it, so if you are having NCL do your airfare, make sure to ask for a deviation so that they plan for your flights to arrive on different days.

Regarding flights, keep in mind if you are trying to go East to West, you can likely make it the same day. But going West to East, you either need to be a day or two sooner, or expect an overnight / red-eye flight.  For my European cruise in August, I'll need 2 connections, both layovers are about 2 hours long.  On our return we only have 1 connection, and the layover is about 3 hours.

14 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

When we left Vancouver, I remember seeing at least one tug boat. Tonight when leaving Skagway, a tug boat pulled when leaving the dock and then pushed when turning. We didn’t see any tugs helping Carnival Miracle do back out of port. 
 

Maybe due to the wind or others reasons? 

Many newer ships use azipods for their propulsion.  They are pods with the propeller mounted to them that can rotate 360 degrees allowing the ship to directly the thrust any direction.   The front can be moved sideways by using thrusters that are mounted sideways in the hull.

The Spirit does not have azipods, it has traditional propeller and rudder arrangement, so if they need to move the back of the ship sideways, they need the help of tugboats.

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Has anyone ever been on a cruise with NCL and needed to do the online check in for another cruise on a different NCL ship while onboard? I’m wondering if the Internet cafe manager would help with this so my internet minutes don’t dwindle away.

I did this once in 2019.  The ncl website was accessible without using internet minutes, so I was able to login to the ncl website and check in without using any minutes.  That was 4 years ago on the Jewel.  Generally I've found that the ncl website is fully accessible when on board.

I see in the program that the 'Sail and Sustain' cocktail is only available at the Great Outdoors bar.  Do the other bars specialize in certain types of drinks? 

I'm familiar with Magnum's (whiskey), Shaker's (Martinis) and Sugarcane (Mojitos) that they have on some other ships.  On the Jewel ships I was able to get an old fashioned with a proper big ice cube in Magnum's, but no big ice cubes to be found anywhere else.

Also, I think I see Starbucks vending machine's in the photos.  I'm assuming that those are not included in the Starbucks, nor Premium package.  Can anyone confirm that?

You mentioned 'no kids' in the Spice H2O area.  Do they seem to strict about the 18+ for that area?  My 17 year old daughter is traveling with us, and due to still recovering from knee surgery can't really run around.  Would she be able to use the hot tubs, and padded loungers in Spice H2O, or are they checking ID or something?

22 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I’ve been to Alaska 12 times on NCL.  Here are some packing suggestions:

1.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer 

2. have waterproof, comfortable footwear

3. Sunglasses

4. sunscreen

5. bathing suit and flip flops for the pool/hot tub/spa

3. avoid jeans which are heavy to pack and cold when wet. Purchase some outdoorsy, water resistant pants. I wear Lululemon Align pants most days and pack 3 pairs.

5. Yes, the theatre and dining rooms can be cold. Pack a sweater, cardigan, hoody or shawl 

6. take some warm socks

7. I always pack a waterproof foldable rain poncho that is in my shore bag at all times

8. even on sunny days glacier viewings are cold. Pack a toque, scarf and mittens

9. if you’re using your phone as a camera, consider purchasing a waterproof pouch for your phone that has a neck strap. This is good for small boat excursions and rainy days

10. have a really comfy pair of shoes for the cruise ship. Choose comfort over style. NCL is casual.

11. If you forget anything, the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan has an upstairs and this is a great place to pick up outdoor gear and clothing.

That's all good advice, but be careful as on this cruise Ketchikan is only on the southbound leg, and it's the last port. So it isn't helpful for supplies, but still good for keepsakes.

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

i have been to a fair number of these pre and post covid and have never seen (or heard) a band or trio or whatever... never any live music at the latitudes "parties" i've attended.

On the Breakaway in late March this year, the Latitudes cocktail party had no sale pitch.  It was held in the Manhattan room, and they had the band playing.  In-between a couple songs they introduced all the officers, and thanked the guests, and then the band went back to playing. 

I haven't seen a lot of consistency, even when sailing on the same ship they have been different.

1 hour ago, quack2 said:

That was quite a sunset last night.  Lasted forever.  Can't have a great sunset without some clouds.

 

Agree about embarkation.  Very smooth.  Arrived at 11:00, was onboard by 11:30.  Lunch at the Local was just o.k.   Dinner at Onda was a little disappointing.  Great service but food quality lacking.  The most expensive item on the menu was the veal Milanese.  Lots of breading to hide the veal.  Tonight is Teppanyaki.

 

And yes, we sailed up the west side of Vancouver Island.  My goal on this cruise is to find a reliable source to tell me why.

 

 

The only recent change I'm aware of is around the discharge of waste water. Perhaps the storage and treatment capabilities of the ship are not enough to satisfy the new requirements Canada put in this year?

https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/enhanced-environmental-measures-2023-cruise-season-ssb-no-08-2023

On our trips, we've also had luck using 1 dining package for 4 items from the sushi bar and sharing them.

15 minutes ago, quack2 said:

I'm currently monitoring the location of the Spirit as she sails south toward Vancouver.  I want to see which side of Vancouver Island she sails on.  Too early to tell for sure, but she seems to be heading toward the west side rather than the more scenic and protected east side.

 

https://www.cruisingearth.com/port-tracker/canada/vancouver-british-columbia/

The spirit is sailing around the outside of Vancouver island both ways.  It might be due to time management as the passage inside is slower, and may be due to new environmental regulations from the Canadian government.

On 6/14/2023 at 10:41 PM, quack2 said:

De Dutch!  Will be there next Wednesday.

 

https://dedutch.com/locations/burrard-landing/

We make a stop at De Dutch everytime that we cruise out of Vancouver.  We drop off our luggage and head over behind the convention center.  It's a nice breakfast, and we enjoy the view of the seaplane base.  It's easier to be patient in the security and check-in lines after a good breakfast.

I wish they would make a law requiring inclusive pricing, so that taxes, port fees, services fees, etc... all need to be included in the advertised price.  I know that they can't change some of it, but I think that people feel cheated when they start looking, and then the price changes SOOOooo drastically.  We have a law like that for airfare in Canada, and it's made me more confident in booking flights, and I'm travelling by plane far more now.

I've been on the Jewel several times.  My daughter loves grabbing a slice of pizza from the late-night buffet.  The dates didn't work out for the Jewel this year, so we will be trying the Spirit for the first time, but we compare the service on every ship to the Jewel.  She was our first cruise, so holds a special place, and so far is our favorite NCL ship and crew (especially because of the crew).

For excursions in Alaska, I have had good luck booking through Alaska Shore Tours. 

I don't think that the NCL spirit allows passengers out to the bow area.  

In this image, I do not see where there would be access for passengers on the bow.  I see that the area on deck 13 around the spinnaker skylight is normally closed off, and perhaps that will be opened up.

While it is neat to take some pics from the bow, I have never found the glacier views to be better.  I've been on several on Jewel class ships, and I prefer viewing from the deck 7 promenade area.  I'll be on the Spirit in July, and I'm looking forward to viewing glaciers and wildlife from the very open after section (Spice H2O).

I was on the Breakaway in March, and the Internet service onboard was provided through Starlink.  The service was better than previous cruises that I've been on.

Our PCC has helped with the following things that I could not do myself.

1) Advance restaurant booking.  Sometimes there are openings that we can't access.

2) Combining promos. NCL had their "Free At Sea" promo, and a "Canadian at PAR" Promo.  The website only had a radio button, so I had to choose one or the other, and the PCC was able to combine them.

3) Answer my questions.  Whether it's about air travel deviations, food allergy accommodations, tax expectations, promo code explanations, she has been reliable for me as well as the family and friends that I have referred to her. I used to use the chat, or phone in, but the reliability of the answers was questionable.  My PCC has proven a better source of information to me.

It was on the Breakaway in March.  I did not enjoy it as it was crowded and the band was disappointing.

Thanks you very much for posting this.  I will be on the Spirit in a month, and I was wondering about the Onda situation.  I had phoned and booked some reservations, including Onda, but I was concerned that it may be closed as it wasn't available on-line.

When the wine steward brings the list, I usually ask them for a suggestion, or if there is a certain style, if I have one in mind.  I've received bottles that are not on the list, and never been charged.  I think they may have some discretionary leeway on this. 

I'm not trying to find a way to get a better deal, usually just looking to have something to enjoy with the meal. 

I sailed out of New Orleans in March.  There was a priority check-in line for platinum and above that was combined with Haven.  Others in the general queue were given "boarding group numbers", and waited for the group number to be called.  We just walked up and showed our platinum card and were allowed to board immediately.

In Vancouver in July 2022 they were verifying check-in times when we went on the Jewel.  I don't remember if they had a platinum line as I was traveling with a larger group, and many were not platinum.  I will be sailing out of Vancouver again in July, does anyone know if they are still checking check-in times, and if there is a platinum priority line?

In my experience large companies use average data from surveys heavily, so make sure to fill in those post-cruise surveys.  And be very harsh when it comes to scoring in areas they did not do well.