Cruzinnana47

We don't care for the "regular" Princess coffee served throughout---made from a syrup base. Will buy the coffee card...find for us it is well worth it.

Cruzin'Nana were you one of the Coral Spices on your trip thru the Panama Canal?

 

 

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YES! We were--what a wonderful trip and Great Group. DH and I still talk about what a fantastic cruise that was....

Still have the t-shirt--will wear on next yr's trip.....;)

No - it was our first port. Go back to about page 2 and you should find it there! Our favorite place - could live there easily! We have been there 3 times and if you have questions, let me know! We spent 2 weeks birding there in 2002.

Sorry, Gwen--I also couldn't find your comments on Costa Rica. Went back and scanned pg. 2, but no luck. We loved our visit there back in 2008 and anxious to return on our PC cruise next year.

Following and enjoying your review--getting revved up for our turn in 2018! Thanks!

Not sure, of course, about your cruise, but this NCL excursion was available last April when we disembarked from the Dawn. As some of our group had a late flight and the others were staying post-cruise in NOLA, it worked out great for us---all our luggage went with us and we were dropped off right at the airport--the two staying on in the city were fortunate to be dropped off very close to their hotel.

We all agreed this excursion was a great way to extend our day in New Orleans and see interesting parts of the city and area.

What street was the Ruby Slipper on that you tried? After reading your post I looked on Yelp and it looks like there are several locations? Unless Ruby Slipper is different from Ruby Slipper Cafe? Thanks!!

The full name IS the Ruby Slipper Cafe--we enjoyed our brunch at the location on Magazine St.--good Bloody Mary's!

The restaurant was the Oceana Grill, and they served us the absolute best breakfast I’ve ever had. Seriously, if you’re in New Orleans, go here for breakfast—you will not regret it.

 

I was basically ready to eat my own arm off by the time we were seated, so we ended up ordering three different breakfasts to split. First, the Cajun Breakfast, which came with eggs, bacon, and very delicious gator sausage. This was good, but nothing compared to the rest of the order.

 

We both were nuts for their pain perdu, the New Orleans version of french toast. Just think of the best french toast you’ve ever had, than multiply that by a factor of like ten.

 

But, for me, the most amazing part was the crawfish omelet. This beautiful creation from the mind of a genius was an omelet filled with crawfish, topped with crawfish etouffee. I still daydream about this omelet, and it’ll be one of my first meals the next time we get back to New Orleans.

 

This totally chance find was one of the highlights of our trip. We ate outside in their quiet courtyard, and it was just what Christmas brunch in New Orleans should be.

Sounds absolutely wonderful....you found a lovely way to enjoy Christmas in NOLA!

Have you ever tried breakfast at the Ruby Slipper? We felt it was definitely worth the wait.;)

Paul, thank you for the fantastic review of your Dawn cruise and New Orleans stay...I've particularly enjoyed reading this last section describing your Big Easy adventures...it makes me want to get back there again and visit the places you've mentioned....particularly Dooky Chase's! We ate in Willie Mae's last April during our pre-cruise stay before boarding the Dawn, and that was quite an experience, too--especially finding it! I also enjoyed seeing the photos of City Park showing the Christmas lights.

Thanks also to your wife for her narrative about time spent talking with the legendary Leah "Dooky" Chase herself.

Hope you have many happy travels in the future.

OP, so appreciate the eloquence of your heartfelt post. Yesterday was such a sad day--it should have been a happy day for those who were arriving in FLL. Our hearts & prayers to all those affected. Kudos to all that helped in the aftermath.

It certainly puts into perspective the petty complaints and moaning we see sometimes here on CC about trivial matters related to travel or cruising. Nothing can compare to the horror of the events at the airport. We all need to keep this in mind.

We sailed on the Dawn out of NOLA this past April--pre-refurb. Agree that sailing out of this city is just the best...;)

Following...anxiously awaiting more...:)

Yes, the refresh my room sign is really a courtesy for the steward, and it's a shame more passengers don't know that.

I'm not sure if it matters, but there were a lot of blue cards on this sailing.

Some people's expectations amaze me.

The poor stewards had to have a meeting because of the complainer.

We always use our sign to let the steward know it's OK to clean. No matter how good the service is, it's unfortunately true that there are ALWAYS some people who cannot stop complaining about everything....:(

Hey, we're on v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n. Don't have to clean or cook the whole time!:)

On the night before our Full-transit Panama Canal Cruise (2008), we received an offer that was pretty good--complete refund AND air credit AND reduced fare for new cruise we booked in its place.

Unfortunately, we had the shuttle van picking us up at home 4am the next day (received offer from Princess about 8pm):eek: and we were so looking forward to taking this cruise for our anniverary.

Otherwise, we would have taken it the offer...

We figured it was an overbooking issue....

Enjoying your review. Have been interested in seeing photos of the refurbished Dawn, since we sailed on her in April just prior to her drydock. You are doing a great job with the review and photos.:)

From what I've seen so far, the "art deco" style artwork all around the promenade deck appears to have been eliminated. The decor in the Venetian seems to have been toned down & looks nice. What are they thinking, though, with those weird paintings?

Sounds like you & Kristen had an overall good time on the cruise and visit to beautiful Bermuda. You have a good attitude and just seem to roll with things...that is certainly helpful when cruising. And congrats on the weight loss for you both!

I chuckled about the fish pattern in the carpet. I always look for it to keep me going in the right direction...LOL.

FYI, Sometimes there are folks who join the Roll Call at the last minute and want to attend the M&G, or else others on the roll call that hadn't indicated whether they would come decide to do so just before the cruise.

I had to email the group event coordinator again just before sailing to update the number of people who said they would be attending. There was even a group who sent me an email the day of embarkation who wanted to be added! The numbers did work out just fine in the end, though.:D

As fivesenuff told you, use the email addr. provided to contact the events coordinator for your ship (per sticky re Meet & Greets). When I was organizing our M&G for our April cruise, I was sent a reply within a day or two. As time got closer, I was told the time/place (usually 11am on the 1st sea day) and NCL took care of contacting the officers & staff members who attended our meeting.

Good luck!

Very psyched that the 2017-18 Itineraries have come out, including Panama Canal sailings. It's been over 8 yrs. since our 1st P.C. sailing, we are now discussing taking another canal sailing, either in 2017 or 2018. This time we are considering a partial itinerary, where we had done the full transit before. We loved the experience on the Coral in 2008, but now see that the Caribbean Princess will be sailing, and it looks like she will be going through the new locks. (BTW, Island Princess is out of the running--not happy that the aft viewing area was taken away to accomodate more cabins on that ship:()

As we've not sailed on the Caribbean Princess yet, could any of you who have sailed both the Caribbean and Coral point out the differences (other than # of pax), and which would be your choice between the two?

TIA.:)

I organized the Meet & Greet on the Dawn recently. I'm also not very comfortable with speaking in front of a group, but did personally greet people as they arrived. It was nice that NCL had several of the ship's staff there, including the Hotel Manager, Concierge, and Cruise Director. I did receive VIP status, which I found out about when we boarded the ship in New Orleans. I certainly didn't expect it, but it was a nice perk to have the Concierge at our disposal, especially since we were not in a suite. We received daily "treats" to our cabin and the option of dining in LaCucina daily for breakfast and lunch, if we wished, as well as being offered priority tendering and disembarkation.

Thank you for your honest review. We were on the same cruise as well. Because I organized the Meet and Greet for this cruise, I was given VIP status, but as we travelled with 4 others, never felt comfortable leaving them behind to partake of the breakfast and/or lunch at LaCucina's. It was great to have the service of the Concierge, however, when in Belize and able to avail ourselves of priority tendering--no need to wait in any line--that was a great perk to have.

We did have a great time; however, the ship is most definitely in need of a refurb. We had previously sailed on the Dawn in her 2nd season, and did notice the obvious wear and tear throughout.

Like you, we had the UBP, and it was nice to not have a giant bill at the end of the trip. Having made Platinum status for this trip, we also were able to eat in 2 specialty restaurants--Le Bistro (which we liked the best) and LaCucina (not overly impressed, we agree the food is just as good in the MDR). We also ate in Cagney's, as well, but were a little disappointed as we'd always heard how good it was. and we underwhelmed with our choices.

It was funny to see the 250-odd Elvis fanatics and 11 (I believe) Elvis impersonators during our sailing, wasn't it?

Overall, it sounds like you enjoyed your cruise and stay in New Orleans, too. We did, as well.

Not at all. My hubby hasn't packed a suit for years and he is THRILLED about that! The best part of Freestyle is you do not have to dress formally. (Unless you choose to).:D

Casual dress is fine for your boys--no suits or sport coats required.

My family thinks I'm nuts because I iron everything. On our last cruise, one of the 1st things I did once we got our luggage was ask the steward to bring me an iron and ironing board....DH even took a picture to show the kids...LOL.:rolleyes:

This cruise I'm going to try to lighten up and pack mostly "wrinkle-free" clothes, which I'm going to roll in the suitcase. I agree that does help, and hanging slightly wrinkled items outside the shower when it's running works pretty good, also.

Just a thought....

Holland America does sail from Boston to Bermuda on the Veendam. A bit pricey, but at least another option. Plus, the ship ports at Hamilton, not the Dockyard.

FYI...I also loved taking the Spirit out of Boston...wish she could come back here.

Thanks for sharing the Dawn Dailies. Helpful info. for our cruise in April!;)

Nice of you to post these!:)

Has anyone done this excursion? Still considering. Appreciate any and all responses --Thx.

Glad to read your comments...we will be on the Dawn in 8 weeks. It'll be 11-1/2 yrs. since we last sailed on her.:)

We're sailing on the Dawn in April and on the day or debarkation we have late flights home. Don't want to hang around for hours at the airport with nothing to do. Saw NCL's bus tour listed as "Past, Present and Perfect" for pax with flights leaving later than 3pm, which is supposed to last approx. 3 hrs. and deliver you and your luggage directly to the airport after the tour.

If anyone has taken this excursion--is it worth the $$? Considered it might be a good way to see more of the city and fill in the extra time. Thoughts?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2249867

You might want to check this out under the Roll Calls section for your sailing. Looks like a Meet & Greet has already been set up.

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