Outdoor space Dawn vs. Breakaway

Hello all!

Thinking of booking on the Dawn, have sailed the Breakaway twice, balcony room both times.

Looking to save money by booking an OV but would like to find a quiet place to read and relax. Loved the Waterfront on the BA.

I did see that the Dawn has a promenade, how does that compare to the Waterfront on the Breakaway?

thanks in advance!

the few times i sailed on the Gem (sister ship to the Dawn), the outside promenade deck was mostly empty with no chairs. it just a big open space

the few times i sailed on the Gem (sister ship to the Dawn), the outside promenade deck was mostly empty with no chairs. it just a big open space

not to start a war, but the Dawn is not a sister ship to the Gem.The Gem is part of the Jewel class, very different. The Dawn and Star are sisters I believe.

You are right about the promenade deck and this is true with the Dawn as well.

I agree that the Dawn does not have anything comparable to the waterfront on the Breakaway but the Dawn is amazing and unique in it's own ways. There was some outdoor space to relax, we had a balcony but did not spend much time on it.

Of my 13 cruises (11 different ships, 3 different lines) the Dawn has been my favourite and I'll be back on her again soon.

the few times i sailed on the Gem (sister ship to the Dawn), the outside promenade deck was mostly empty with no chairs. it just a big open space

When we were on Dawn a few years back, there were a handful of chairs on the promenade. Like maybe 4 on each side. We too like being able to find those quiet spots and although I don't remember right now where that was on Dawn, we must have found it because we loved the Dawn and most definitely would go on it again.

The Dawn does not have a waterfront. However, we love the Dawn and enjoyed the quietness of the promenade. They have shuttleboard and chairs on the promenade. It is a great place to sit under some shade and watch the waves. We love the Dawn and that area.

Love the Dawn, there is plenty of quiet outdoor space. If you are driving to port consider bringing folding “camping” chairs, you’ll have most of the promenade to yourself but there is not much seating.

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thank you everyone for your replies! Great idea TrinaLC about bringing folding chairs!

not to start a war, but the Dawn is not a sister ship to the Gem.The Gem is part of the Jewel class, very different. The Dawn and Star are sisters I believe.

 

You are right about the promenade deck and this is true with the Dawn as well.

The Dawn and Star are sisters and other than a few differences, very much alike.

I wouldn't say Jewel Class very different than Dawn Class. I would say they took that design and improved on it in several ways.

I have been on both the Breakaway and Dawn, entirely different ships, you can find many quiet places on deck 13,port ,starboard and forward, although mostly in sunny areas. Also many interior windows on decks 6 (near casino) and 7. There is also an area on deck 9 over the Atrium. The Dawn is a great ship we will be on her next to last trip out of Boston IN Oct have a great cruise

I find the Dawn superior to Breakaway for sitting outside and reading, which is my major cruise activity! Sometimes you can grab a lounge chair on the promenade deck (there aren't that many, and people will be passing between you and the view ;)) but your best bet to avoid full sun is on 13 outside of Cagney's/Moderno. There's not a lot of foot traffic, you can hear the music from the pool area if you want to hear it, but not so loud that you can't ignore it, or for it to interfere with your own earphones. If you want shade you need to choose your time and side of the ship accordingly -- the shady side can fill up fast. For full sun, the front of the ship is very popular, and there are multiple levels of lounge chairs overlooking the pool. In the evening it can be really pleasant to catch a breeze and read, or watch any poolside activities.

There are also comfortable lounges closer to the pool area.

I found the Waterfront on the Breakaway pretty disappointing. Some of the furniture looked inviting, but once you sat on it you could see the internal support was shot. It was basically the ship's smoking section (at least on the cruise I was on), as people would set up with friends and literally spend the day there smoking. In general I didn't think the Breakaway provided anything close to the outdoor space the Dawn does for just relaxing.

I found the Waterfront on the Breakaway pretty disappointing. Some of the furniture looked inviting, but once you sat on it you could see the internal support was shot. It was basically the ship's smoking section (at least on the cruise I was on), as people would set up with friends and literally spend the day there smoking. In general I didn't think the Breakaway provided anything close to the outdoor space the Dawn does for just relaxing.

The smoking was on one side of the ship, so on our recent Transatlantic, we focused on the other side! However, I agree it was a bit disappointing for the reasons you state. Furniture in need of replacement (maybe they did in the recent refurb?) On colder or rougher days, the place (other than smoking section) was pretty empty and you could find some very quiet corners. But then you wanted a blanket to stay warm. On the couple of warm days, it was busy enough not to be able to just sit and relax.

thank you everyone for your replies! Great idea TrinaLC about bringing folding chairs!

You do not have to bring a chair with you .Just go up to the pool deck or the sun deck and bring a couple down with you.We do it when there are no chairs available.

I have only sailed the Dawn, last Sept 15th the latest cruise. The Bimini Bar area was always empty... the hot tub was rarely occupied and there were always numerous chairs empty, almost like ghost town. Not sure if it was timing of cruise or what but it was a hidden gem. We frequently went up that way to relax and get away from the crowds.

thank you dcruiser50, DaisyGoldberg, rmurray847, craigers, and saretaj for the great ideas and tips!

Greatly appreciated!