New to NCL: Dawn vs. Breakaway

Hi! My boyfriend and I are planning a cruise for end of Feb/early March of 2018. We have narrowed it down to 2 cruise and I was hoping for some insite on Dawn. I’ve seen a lot of post about Breakway so I’m not too worried if we end up choosing that cruise.

Any advice would be appreciated 😊

This will be my 3rd cruise (RC and Carnival) and my boyfriends 1st so I don’t want to disappoint him lol

I just came off the breakaway a few weeks ago. I have been on the dawn and the jewel.

the dawn and jewel are much better than the breakaway. Less people. Food was better on them too. The setup of the dawn was nice than the breakaway too.

read this review.

Breakaway Review Oct 1st 2017, Yes. Previous reviews were unfortunately right!

His review is true.

They crammed in 4000 people but didn't make any extra space. the balcony hardly fit 2 chairs. the atrium held all games and events , which means you don't go, or stand.

first time on the cruise , I missed a lot due to overcrowded. Theater small too for the amount of people.

the Dawn was great.

read this review.

 

Breakaway Review Oct 1st 2017, Yes. Previous reviews were unfortunately right!

 

His review is true.

 

They crammed in 4000 people but didn't make any extra space. the balcony hardly fit 2 chairs. the atrium held all games and events , which means you don't go, or stand.

 

first time on the cruise , I missed a lot due to overcrowded. Theater small too for the amount of people.

 

the Dawn was great.

Thank you so much for the input!!! I haven’t seen too many reviews about Dawn and have seen good/bad reviews on Breakaway.

I’ve been leaning towards Dawn because of the itinerary but going on Breakaway we wouldn’t need to fly anywhere lol

Thanks again [emoji4]

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We have loved all of our trips on the Breakaway. To each their own I guess!

I'm in the opposite situation as you, I live a 20 min walk from Black Falcon in Boston and we fly to NY to avoid the Dawn and will do the same next year to try the Escape.

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We have loved all of our trips on the Breakaway. To each their own I guess!

 

I'm in the opposite situation as you, I live a 20 min walk from Black Falcon in Boston and we fly to NY to avoid the Dawn and will do the same next year to try the Escape.

 

 

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Hi thanks for the input. Can I ask why you avoid Dawn? Bad experience?

Thanks!

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Perhaps a bad choice of words, apologies! Up here, we only have one option for NCL and it has been the same option for years.

I have heard good and bad things about all the ships, and at the end of the day I'm sure you'll have a great time whichever one you pick!

For us, we do not like small ships in general. We find the options to be more limited and the space more confining. On the bigger ships there is just so much more to do! Also, now that we have been in the Haven we avoid any ship that doesn't have a separate Haven area .. so that leaves the Dawn out.

The Dawn did go through a dry dock recently I understand, so I'm sure all the old comments about how it looks tired and old are no longer true. In fact, on my last trip on the Breakaway this fall it is the Breakaway that is in need of a refresh!

Regarding the Dawn specifically, we also avoid because we have had many family members take the BOS-BDA cruise and, although they all had a good time, they said the Dawn would not be their first choice. They felt the crew/service was sub-par to other NCL ships.

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I personally prefer the Breakaway over the Dawn but I'm a casino person and I also enjoy all the bells and whistles of the new ships. So many things the Breakaway has that the Dawn does not but it really depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. It's true it is much more crowded but after the first day everyone seems to scatter throughout the ship and it's easier to do what you want without much of a problem (except for the atrium stuff- get there early to get a seat or plan on standing). Dinner I have learned go early (by 6pm or else go late) and there is no wait and service is fast. To me it's worth the trade off to have so much more available on the Breakaway.

Good luck with whichever you choose they both are awesome!

we went to the buffet on the last sea day, and barely found a table.

You are right about going to early dinner, we went at 5:30 to avoid the crowds, but there was really long lines to the dining rooms at times other than that.

If you can afford the haven, they have their own dining area, sun area which crowds can be avoided. I just depends on each individual cruise. I never had a problem on the dawn, jewel or the sun . the smaller ncl ships always had a nice area for games shows, bingo in the back of the ship whick held a lot. they also had a nice outdoors area for another buffet, plus they cooked at grills at the pool , which the breakaway didn't have any of this. Have fun on either ship you pick. :D

Dawn is my least favorite of the NCL ships I've been on, primarily because it does not have an outside bar/food area in the aft of the ship. On most ships, this area is just behind the buffet area. Probably not a big deal to many, but that is one of my favorite areas of the ship.

Thank you everyone for the input! After going back and forth we decided to give Dawn a try [emoji4] Time to find my roll call and let the fun begin!

Impatiently waiting for vacation [emoji568][emoji274][emoji907]

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We just got off the Dawn last Friday. It was our first NCL cruise and we had a blast. Smaller ships are what we always end up on so I can't compare it. I think some people generally like the smaller ships, some like the bigger ones. Overall we really liked it. I'm sure you'll love it.

We loved the Dawn after her nicely done refurbishment. We also love the big ships. Since Dawn is going to Bermuda (great island!) out of Boston (never been there) we plan to book her for next summer. We absolutely loved the new Los Lobos Cantina on the Dawn. Inexpensive and very good food. It's been awhile since we were on the Breakaway, but it is a good ship and we are excited she will be cruising out of New Orleans next year!

Escape is our favorite....so far:cool:

We were on the Dawn a month ago and loved it. This was our 1st cruise so I don’t have much to compare. Loved the entertainment and restaurants were not too busy. Food was great.

Hi! My boyfriend and I are planning a cruise for end of Feb/early March of 2018. We have narrowed it down to 2 cruise and I was hoping for some insite on Dawn. I’ve seen a lot of post about Breakway so I’m not too worried if we end up choosing that cruise.

 

Any advice would be appreciated

 

This will be my 3rd cruise (RC and Carnival) and my boyfriends 1st so I don’t want to disappoint him lol

It totally depends on what you like to do and what you are expecting from a ship? The Dawn, as you probably know is about 1/2 the size as the Breakaway and one of the oldest ships in the NCL fleet. It has a relaxed feel, wonderful crew plus will give you a feeling of "they really care". Probably the down side is: the passengers will mostly be in the older age group. The Beakaway has a lot more activities, is beautiful and very impressive. We did find the crew not as friendly and the service not as good as on the older, smaller ships. I am saying the service is bad, by anymeans, it just isn't a personal. So if you want lots of activities, fun night life and enjoy walking a lot, as the ship is huge, go for the Breakaway. If you want more intamacy you will like the Dawn better. This is strictly my view, others may see it another say.

Now I see you made your decision. I don't think you will be disappointed. Itineray actually is usually the thing we look for first. And yes, do join the Roll call. Have a wonderful time!!!!!! Hope you have decided to book the week prior to college spring break unless you are a college student.

Having sailed on both the Dawn and the Breakaway I whole heartedly recommend the DAWN! It's a smaller, more intimate ship and very aesthetically pleasing. I found the service to be MUCH better on the Dawn as well. Embarkation was about the same on both ships, but disembarkation on the Dawn was also MUCH easier. As were the lines/waits for shore excursions. Extremely disorganized on the Breakway - smooth and easy on the Dawn.

Having sailed on both the Dawn and the Breakaway I whole heartedly recommend the DAWN! It's a smaller, more intimate ship and very aesthetically pleasing. I found the service to be MUCH better on the Dawn as well. Embarkation was about the same on both ships, but disembarkation on the Dawn was also MUCH easier. As were the lines/waits for shore excursions. Extremely disorganized on the Breakway - smooth and easy on the Dawn.

Thank you for the input!!! I’ll be on Dawn in March and super excited!

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