myra711

We traveled with 3 adults in the spa cabin on the Escape.  We all had the spa pass.  We DID have all 3 of us from the beginning of the reservation, but I don't see why that would make a difference.

My 2 cents:

People will go on the reconfigured ships and will have to see then whether or not the decreased public space impacts their enjoyment of the ship.  I can absolutely see that as a possibility. 

To speak about our current experiences that the perks one group receives isn't an issue, doesn't seem relevant to me.  We have to see how this new set-up affects things.  And if it is no longer as much fun to cruise if you pay "regular" non-Haven, non-Vibe rates, people will stop cruising (or stop cruising NCL) or pony up the extra $.   I'm guessing that the company is betting on the latter.

Hi!  I just got off the Dawn yesterday.  In addition to some of the other comments (I am another one who was disappointed in the buffet) I would add:

-The size of the ship made it easier to just use the stairs for almost everything.  I was on deck 9, and it was so easy to get to 6 or 7, and also to get to 12 and 13. 

-Important: if you are in the aft staircase/elevator, going to 6 will take you only to the handicapped entrance to the main dining room.  To get to the rest of 6, use other stairs or elevators.

-And if you are in one of the public ladies rooms, remember that you might have to turn the lock TWICE to unlock the door.  I had to rescue 3 different people over the course of the cruise, including one woman who seemed to be claustrophobic and almost took the whole stall out in her distress!

Enjoy your cruise!

Sorry to hear that you had such an unpleasant issue to deal with.  I just want to say that on my cruise last week, at least 1 room became available on day 4 when a passenger was thrown off the ship.

4 hours ago, Eric92262 said:

At long last, after eight months the cruise departs tomorrow.  Thank you so much Nic6318, taglovestocruise and geoherb for your responses.  I've learned since I posted that we got not just a good deal but a GREAT deal and we are seriously stoked about it!

 

Yes geoherb I had already chosen the cabin on the Lido Deck, so it is the uppermost cabin deck, and thanks to astute cruisers I've met on here I checked into what is above us.  The Beauty Salon.  Great!  Not the Fitness Center or the Youth and Teen Centers, which some of our neighbors will find themselves beneath.

 

Will try to get some sleep tonight but it will be tough  🙂

 

Eric

Hah!  I'm on a cruise tomorrow morning, too, and here it is 4:30 AM.  I got up because I couldn't fall back to sleep!  Have a wonderful cruise!

Not only did we not have to make reservations for the complimentary restaurants, we made walk-up changes to the day and time for specialty restaurants on the Escape with not problem.  In one case, we thought that we were early by a half hour, and it turned out that we were wrong by one day and a half hour!  

Thanks for your input.  I think that I would rather wait for him than have him wait for me!  I will pay attention to what happens and post here for anyone else with this question.  

I'll be getting off the Dawn a week from Saturday (two days to cruise!) and I'm not sure when to tell my husband to be there to pick me up.  If I ask him to be there at at 10 AM, what is a reasonable time to leave the ship, given lines to get off the ship and lines to get through customs?  This is my first Dawn cruise, and I'm hoping that there will be less chaos and wait-time to get off the ship.  I won't be a "walk-off".  

Thanks for your thoughts.

OP, it's always nice to hear how things went.  I don't often see people follow up on this board, and I appreciate your doing so!

I don't have an answer, but I want to commend you for doing right by the oceans!  We were in Hawaii 32 years ago, and again 2 years ago, and there is a dramatic drop in the fish you can see on snorkeling trips.  I was so sad to see this decline in just our lifetime.  Sunscreen use isn't the whole problem, but it is part of it.

" think the ship docked around 10 am.

we had pre-ordered the (2) person clamshell $39 and we got one for the in-laws as well so $78 all in. You get the voucher for the clamshells the night before in your cabin. On the voucher it instructs you to visit the tour office or something on great stirrup cay (don’t do this) it also states you can disembark the ship at 10:30 am along with passengers who booked excursions. "

Expectthebest, where/when were you able to get the two-person clamshell?  And the tips are very helpful, thanks.

Expectthebest, Thank you so much for this review!  We will be on the Dawn with the same itinerary 6/15 - 22.  Not in a suite, but it's good to hear your take on things, since there haven't been other Dawn sailings with this itinerary recently.  I look forward to more installments.

And toothy26, thanks for the excursion tip; I wasn't planning to get off, but now I'll look into that.

I leave something extra for the cabin steward, about $20/person in the cabin.  They  work like dogs, and I appreciate the effort to keep the room nice.  But as others have said, it is totally a personal decision and not necessary after you have paid the DSC.  

One other option...if you are within driving distance to NYC, you can also check out the port  in Bayonne, NJ for different last minute cruises.  And perhaps you are close enough to Boston to drive to that port?

mking,

Thanks for all the info.  I think that I will pass this time around; for me, the main function would be to message my sister, with whom I'm sharing a room.

Enjoy your next cruise!

MKING8288,

can you tell me how it was for you re: messaging other people on the ship?  I was on the Escape last summer, and it was truly a waste of money.  But if it has been fixed and is working better, I would consider trying it again on the Dawn later this month.  TIA

Happy Sailing!

We had 3 adults in a spa balcony (Escape) last summer, and we all got the spa passes.

Two or three years ago I had to bail out of a trip due to family illness.  It was only a couple of days before sailing (Breakaway) and my sister was able to change my name to a friend's name with no issues or costs.  All prepaid, no additional costs.

On 5/10/2019 at 4:51 PM, Red-Sol said:

 

 

Underwater cameras that could project somewhere scenes of what might be swimming along near us.

How cool would that be!  I'm always trying to see if there is anything I can identify from above.  My brother once saw a sailfish.

For me, it has to do with time of year; when the weather is nice outside, I would rather spend my time outdoors.  But it is definitely worth it when you will be sailing in cooler weather,  in and out of home port.

6 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I personally tip $20 and so does whoever I am with (my SO or my sister) for a total of $40. I selected $20 from the options.

That's what we do, too.  

One other issue that I don't think I've seen here: now that there is open seating, how would you tip waitstaff?  Per meal?  Much easier to have gratuities included.

Have fun!  And Happy Birthday!

FYI, I had a similar situation about 2 years ago, and had to forgo a cruise on NCL 2 or 3 days before sailing.  My sister had no trouble changing my reservation to a different person's name.  I don't know how she did it, but it wasn't a problem.