fairygirl1

Dont forget dramamine!! Even if you think you wont need it,,, you just never know! Have a great time!!

Hubby and I just sailed on the dawn in august. We had no major complaints with the ship. We made our dinner reservations online before we sailed and literally walked right in each time. I do agree some service was slow and /or indifferent, but hey-we all have the occassional bad day at work ;) as for those pull tabs-i just feel they're a total waste of my money anyway, so i cant really comment there!

We are already booked for next march. I like knowing I can choose my room, as well as taking my time to pay it off. ( we like not putting it on credit card!) :) plus it gives us something to foreward to during the year!

We have done 2 and no problems ,,, we did have some high waves on first one, but only on departure. On 2nd we all took a dramamine and were perfectly fine. We are already booked for next march in fact! The weather was so nice and warm on day 2 when we woke up also...Have fun!

This is not so much a cruise question as a "Cruise Critic" question- but I suppose the topic could be discussed here.

 

Is there a place on these boards to discuss the Weekly Poll? If this thread gets moved, could someone please be kind enough to tell me where I am being re-directed/relocated?

 

This week's poll is about dining on shore. Currently, the numbers seem to be stacking up to indicate that 39% like trying local cuisine, followed by 32% that never eat off the ship. The rest either only eat what is provided on the ship's tour (23%) or eat what is closest to port 5%. I know these percentages all have "point something" behind them, but I just went with the main numbers.

 

Anyhow, for those who only eat what is provided on a tour OR only eat on board-what is the reasoning for that? More because it is included in your fare, or because you don't like to venture out?

Personally, We do not eat off ship, due to having no clue re preparation, cleanliness, etc...we do purchase prepackage stuff as souvenirs . plus, I prefer my shore time to be exploring and fun--no worrying abt finding foOd.

I saw this video on the Today Show. It is a series of 3 cruise related videos covering germs, life guards, and jewelry shopping in the Caribbean. Be sure to watch all three.

 

http://www.today.com/news/cruise-ships-may-carry-unwelcome-passengers-germs-2D80578418

 

Shak

It only showed the germ one!,,, are the others linked somewhere else?

That's all for now folks. I am writing this review as I go and in between work commitments. I appreciate your patience if there are occasional delays. Next time I will finish day one, including the sailaway from Miami and the Illusionarium dinner show.

 

If you decide to follow my review please take the time to type the word following, as this let's me gauge whether what I am posting is of interest. I will also try to answer any questions.

 

Many thanks

megacruiser

Following!! :)

Hello MandyMommyof2,

 

Many thanks for commenting. I am delighted you are going to be following my review and really appreciate hearing from those who will be doing so. Let's me know the level of interest.

 

Kind regards

megacruiser

Love your review,,,enjoying it greatly!

They also delivered a cake to our room olo:ong with decorating for our anniversary!

Correct!

Noticed the 2015 December Caribbean are the last ones listed for the Gem, but other cruises out of Tampa are listed for 2016 on the Star. Maybe NCL was avoiding the 10% deal on those 2016 cruises, will post them again soon.

We are booked in march out of nyc, booked thru NCL,,, nothing mentioned at booking....IIm assuming no problems! :o

So we are a week+ back and my withdrawal symptoms are starting to fade, but I wanted to get the review up before my memories did! I was traveling with my entire immediate family – all 15 of us (9 adults, 6 kids aged 3 1/2 to 11) and in general we had a pretty amazing experience.

 

Embarkation –

We were very impressed with how (relatively) quickly the check in/customs process was. The staff was efficient and recognized when new lines needed to be opened or people needed to be shifted around. After we got on the ship we proceeded to Grand Pacific with our carry-ons to have lunch. Service was slow, but in a ‘relax, you’re on vacation’ sort of way. Our rooms were ready during lunch and our main luggage was already at the room after the quick muster drill. Smaller checked food items (case of water…very important box of goldfish crackers) arrived shortly after.

 

Our Stateroom (8110) –

Very pleasantly surprised by how roomy our ocean view (picture window) stateroom was. Sure it was small, but I was expecting MUCH smaller. And there was plenty of storage and nooks to put everything so the only thing we were tripping over were human beings, not belongings. Our giant suitcase stored w/o issue in our closet and we had no problem distributing everyone’s clothes (I am a notorious over-packer) in the available drawers and closets. Additionally, our shower was AWESOME (pressure and temp are very important to me) and the beds were super comfortable. I had 7 solid nights of sleep which I don’t even get in my bed at home! Our room steward was just OK – he was perfectly nice and efficient but a few of my (minor) requests were blown off and that sort of irked me.

 

Dining-

We ate in MDR (Grand Pacific) every night with the exception of the one night we ate at La Cucina (OK if you have the extra $$ but not a ‘must see’ IMO). The service in Grand Pacific was leisurely, which some might get annoyed at but I liked the tempered pace. One general statement – I wasn’t crazy about any of the steak meals I had. The burgers were fine, but steaks weren’t great. Highlights at Grand Pacific for me were the warm chocolate volcano, lamb chops, duck confit peppardelle pasta, prime rib (the exception to my ‘steak’ comment) and any seafood served with the fennel buerre blanc sauce. Special shout out to the daily spaghetti Bolognese that my 5 year old ate almost every night. Speaking of the children – it’s a daunting task to get a table of 6 young kids served and kept happy – the staff did not disappoint. The kids were served quickly and the offerings on the kids menu are standard and fine, but don’t be shy about ordering from the non-kid menu if you think your kids are up to the task!

 

Poolside – the giant hibachi BBQs rank only slightly below the MDR as our favorite dining on the ship. The variety and quality of the food was outstanding. These occurred on all 3 days at sea, plus the bonus day at sea we had when GSC was skipped. The grilled veggies were out of this world (grilled pumpkin – who knew!) and the pork stood out as the best of the meat offerings for me. My husband claims the jerk chicken and ribs were his faves, though.

 

Main Buffet – we only went there once for lunch and nothing really stood out for me. It was a large sampling of OK food. I much preferred Grand Pacific or the poolside BBQs for lunch. Breakfast was OK here – I preferred the MDR mainly for the pace and the cooked to order stuff, but I’m not a big breakfast person anyway.

 

Blue Lagoon – ate there once, wasn’t impressed, though the brownie sundae was very good.

 

Drinks –

I averaged probably 2-3 drinks per day and I felt like they had a reasonable markup. Went to the martini bar a few nights and the martinis there weren’t any more expensive than I’d get at a local bar by my house. Our bartender was pretty awesome. No huge showmanship, but she was friendly and made a mean watermelon martini!

 

Fitness & Spa –

Classes - I’m a sporadic exerciser at best, but figured I’d offset some of the caloric intake with a few of the Pilates and Yoga offerings. 3 classes bundled for $30 was a decent deal and the instructor (Urshka?) was awesome. Took the time to correct and challenge all levels.

 

Spa - We ended up skipping GSC b/c of rough waters but I was pleased to hear that the spa was still honoring the port specials so I took advantage of the $99 50-minute massage. Michel was my masseuse and I felt like a jellyfish when he was done – a bit of a different technique than I'm used to, but it was awesome nevertheless.

 

Ports –

Port Canaveral – we stayed on the ship most of the day, but did get off around 3 to take a shuttle to Ron Jon. Honestly, it was fine and I was happy to grab a cheap pack of beach toys for when we got to Nassau, but I would have been just as happy staying on the ship. Just not a lot to do (for our family) if you didn’t want to hit the beach in that area.

 

Nassau – we did the Atlantis beach and aquarium excursion booked directly through NCL. It wasn’t that much more expensive and I was happy to let someone else figure out the transportation for us. The excursion itself is well organized. There is plenty of staff directing you and it moves very quickly. There is a fair amount of walking – from the ship to the shuttles and then from the shuttles through Atlantis as they give you a quick lay of the land. Cove Beach was closed due to rough waves when we got there (around 11) but we happily set up camp by the lagoon for the day. Plenty of lounge chairs, a small clean beach and the water was calm and shallow enough that our 5 and 3 year old could play safely. We could have walked further down to Atlantis Beach, but we were happy with the lagoon. We played for about 2 hours and then left the property to go meet a local friend for lunch (a little walk through Marina village to Green Parrot – right by the PI bridge – GREAT food!). On the way back we got ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s in Marina Village ($$$), then walked through The Dig (aquarium) which the girls LOVED. Back to the lagoon for another hour or so then we got in the quick-moving line to board the shuttles back to the ship.

 

Splash Academy –

I’m sure it was lovely but my girls simply did not care for it. They went a handful of times, but they never really wanted to go so we had to talk them into it. I don’t think it was anything specific, I think they just wanted to be with us since it was vacation which to them means ‘spend time with mommy and daddy’ since they go to daycare or school 5x a week when we’re home. The few times they did go the activities were - pajama party (last night), balloon animals and face painting, stories and some sort of whacky party. I know there was a big final show on the last afternoon at sea, but we didn't participate.

 

Pools –

I really wish there was a shallow-ish ‘kids’ pool on ships like these. The family pool is 4’11” minimum and with the rocking ship it made it hard for 5’6” me to hold my kids and keep us all above water. Plus it was crowded with lots of excited kids not really paying attention and kicking/splashing/etc. I got kicked in the stomach more in a week than I ever have in my entire life! Family pool was closed a few times due to vomit – which meant the kids got to invade the adult only pool which I’m sure was thrilling to most adults! J That said, crowded as they were the pools are a decent size for what they are. We frequented the hot tubs, which also got crowded but they were easier to keep our kids from drowning!

 

We had a great time on the water slide too – one of us had to go down with our girls b/c they were too short, but I wasn’t complaining, it was fun! I heard a lot of people had trouble getting down smoothly but for some reason I never had an issue whether I went down sitting or on my belly.

 

Entertainment –

I’m not a huge ‘joiner’ so we stuck mainly to the post-dinner shows. We hit up Second City which was very funny, the comedian Jeff Harms (?) who was amusing, if not predicable at times and Chip Romero with my kids - no psychological damage incurred ;). Honestly, my 5 yo was bored w. Chip – I think she had very different ideas of what ‘magic’ was. The biggest source of evening enjoyment for my kids was heading up to Spinnaker in the 8:30 – 9:30 hour when it was pretty empty but they had a live band – our kids would boogie on the dance floor and we’d grab a drink or two and relax then clear out when people started to file in.

 

Overall Impression –

Staff was very friendly – as I mentioned before, serving a party of 15 including 6 young kids is a challenge! I was disappointed that we didn’t have the same servers every night, but I guess this is all part of the ‘freestyle’ experience.

 

Aside from the dining staff we really appreciated how attentive the poolside staff was – they did their best to keep the pools calm (and keep kids out of the adult pools/hot tub b/c some people think the rules don’t apply to them) and the water slide monitors always chatted with my daughter until it was their turn on the slide…and the servers were quick with the drinks when we weren’t in the water!

 

The ship was VERY crowded….and people frequently inconsiderate. My daughter and I were walking on the outskirts of the buffet and some big guy knocked her on her butt and just kept going. He didn’t even look back, let alone apologize. She was fine and we brushed it off, but even the teenager who was behind us could not believe what happened. There was a lot of this indifference throughout the week, just people not paying attention or caring.

 

All in all a great vacation with some small snags here and there – I’d definitely cruise NCL again should someone shower me with dolla billz so I could afford it!

 

Sorry for the loooooong review, but what can I say I’m wordy!

Can I ask, where was the adult only pool? WE CRUISED ON GEM IN 2013 and I just dont remember it ,,, going again on 9 day in early '16 so definetly will look for it! Thx for great review!

And no passport required ;)

If you are staying in boston the night before, many motels will allow parking there for a much reduced fee.( at same hotel) We just did that in sept,,, $50 for whole week vs $16/day at pier. My friends left vehicle in lot tho with no issues. It is police patrolled. Have fun-you will love cru:Dising!

May I ask, what type of underwater camera did you use? These pics are amazing!!!! T h x for sharing!:D

Thank you very much!

We just booked march 2016,,,and they had only JUST posted for '16,,,so Im thinking by feb next?

We just got off the Epic in early jan. The chairs all had towels and books on them early in the morning. It was only our 5th cruise I didn't realize this was a game. I did write Norwegian to come up with. Some idea to maybe tweet this. Chairs sat all day by the pool empty. Next time I'm going in . :)

 

 

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My hubby and I did exactly this,,,waited a bit to see if perhaps they in pool and then we just moved stuff to the deck, pulled chairs over and sat,,,, really hate the selfishness of others!

Headed to caribbean for 10 days on the Gem,,,, any recommendations for shore excursions in cancun and st maartins? Any pics to share?? Thx!!

Im curious, has anyone here done one of the scrapbooking cruises? Did you like it, or did u find yourself just doing the usual fun cruising things? ( considering one next yr)

2016......sooooooo far away!!!! :(

I have the same question.

 

But gratuities is not yet paid for in my opinion...or is gratuities already paid for ? LOL

 

Very confusing for me..

 

The way I see it is I pay for the gratuities before I de embark the ship.. my account needs to be paid in full before I leave the ship.

Yes gratuities will be added to your account daily. $12/day per person i believe. (And are part of final payment) That being said, you CAN prepay and then no add on! I wish I did that on last trip,,,planning to on our next! Hope this helps

I have never cruised with NCL and I have the option to book a cruise on the NCL Dawn next March! What are the pros and cons on cruising on this ship? Any advice & helpful hints would be greatly appreciated! :)

Just off the dawn yesterday.... my 3rd w ncl (all different ships) NO complaints at all. It's not massive like breakaway but same as gem and spirit. Loved our trip, many family's , seniors and our age group on board. Food is great in dining room, acceptable in buffet ( not bad, just buffet,,, ;) staff is outstanding.. planning our next already!:)

Almost done with the handouts!

 

Day 1's Daily also had a letter from the captain.

 

And on the back, this schedule which I promptly forgot I had.

 

Although we did not do any shore excursions, I'll include the schedule and pricing here in case anyone is interested or wants to get an idea of what is available. Prior to our cruise, I read over and over again that given the length of stay on Bermuda, it really wasn't necessary to book tours through the ship. I can see occasions why that might be true, but for us, doing things on our own worked out fine.

 

 

Loving your review,, esp the photos!,, we leave next friday and finding pics of the dawn are tough!,, thank you! Looking forward to reading, seeing more...

Great review! We are headed there next friday,,, this review has me even more psyched!:D