Norwegian Dawn review March 25th 2011 cruise

[Jokelady]

I just arrived home last evening and I thought I would take the time to share my experience with others.

 

This 9 day Caribbean cruise had been booked for several months and we spent those months waiting in anticipation for our turn to come aboard the Dawn. She wasn't without issues the last several months and ports were cancelled due to mechanical issues. We prayed that the problems would be resolved by the time our turn came and we wouldn't be disappointed. The Dawn delivered all 5 ports Samana, Tortola, Antigua, Barbado's and St. Kitts.

 

The ship is a wonderful floating city of fun and we were never bored while we were cruising on her. We knew going in that she is slated for dry dock in May so our expectations weren't too high.

 

The ship was in good shape when we climbed aboard. The embarkation was painless and we were able to head to our stateroom immediately. Once there we did a once over and checked out the room and our surroundings.

 

Our room was a balcony state room which consisted of two beds pushed together, a couch, table and chair, bathroom with water closet and the usual storage space. All in all the room was adequate for the two of us.

 

The room wasn't without issues however. I found the cleanliness in the bathroom to be lacking, dust on picture frame and above TV set etc. We had to request on three different occasions to have someone fix our safe as we could not access it. The couch had stains as did the duvet cover and the sheets. The beach towels were dingy and stained. One of our bathroom towels even had holes in it. Upon looking in the closet for bathrobes I realized there were none there. I asked the room steward and he said they were out to be cleaned and would arrive the next day. This never happened. I did talk to the front desk and they said they were only in the room if requested? I found this to be odd as I have never had to request robes. The mere fact that I spoke to the front desk and the steward would suggest that "hey how about some robes?" Even after two enquiries, the robes never made it.

 

We had problems with the disappearing bath mat and beach towels. Both we requested but the bath mat never materialized until I wrote a letter to the front desk. In that letter I mentioned 14 things that I found lacking compared to previous NCL cruises.

 

During our 10 day cruise we spent most of the time without a bath mat, ony 2 towel animals until the letter hit the front desk. Sloppy housekeeping in the mornings up until the letter was written and delivered. Our beach towels were taken and not replaced so we had to request them a second time. The beach towels were dingy and stained with yellow. They were very worn looking. Our duvet cover and sheets had stains and the room was dusty. Our cabin steward although there, seemed to lack an eye for detail. He claimed he had been with the ship for 12 years but we felt the level of service did not compare to the exceptional service we had received on all previous cruises (3) in 2010.

 

The deck chairs at the front of the ship in the quiet area really need to be replaced. Most chairs were worn, ripped and had lost their ability to hold a person comfortably. This was annoying because you had to go through several chairs, move them about etc. until you found the right one. At times we felt like Goldilocks doing this.

 

On a previous NCL cruise we enjoyed ice cream machines that were user friendly. On this cruise an attendant was there running the machine. The ice cream was vanilla and strawberry but no chocolate. There was no lemonade during the day and only ice tea and water was offered.

 

My previous NCL cruise in the Mexican Riviera seemed to be filled with smiling staff that was eager to please. We found the staff to be average and luke warm on this cruise. There were pockets of helpful happy staff but it was not epidemic by no means. At times we felt that we were an annoyance to some staff. Although others on the ship had a different outcome, we did not find that one staffer that stood out and went above and beyond. On other cruises we have always found memorable and exceptional staff. Hector, Made, and Siti, Mark to name a few.

 

In Spring 2010 during a Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Star, I got use to having late night chocolate chip cookies with my tea. These cookies were no where to be found on this cruise except on two occasions where I hijacked them from the kids buffet bar. I felt like I was playng hide and seek with my food.

 

The quality of the menu we found is now lacking. During the Star cruise we dined on duck, bisque soups, more adventurous desserts. This cruise found more gelatin based desserts and fewer pies and cakes as viable options. The pudding/ jello type treats reminded us of school cafeterias and old folks homes. Where are those decadent desserts NCL?

 

The shows on the ship were spectacular as usual. Matt Baker did a wonderful job and his Wiki wiki wahhhh is now engrained in my brain till eternity.... thanks Matt! It's Bingo Time takes a close second!

 

Josie and Patti were AWESOME. We loved their shows and especially their 70's rock review in the atrium. I know I speak for everyone when I say they were an asset to that ship.

 

The magic, juggling and Bollywood shows were all delightful and well received by all that saw them.

 

We love the look of the ship and the cute nautical decor on the 10th floor. We noticed a few cosmetics that are allowing Dawn to show her age but we also know she is heading to dry dock for a much needed break and facelift. We are sure she will be shining like a new penny when she heads back to sea.

 

My suggestions to NCL would be to work on staff morale, think about more comfortable beds that dont include a seam that one partner must sleep on, re-think the menu (we like the old one better), lay off the jello and pudding based desserts and try more pies, cakes, cookies and anything that doesn't resemble nursing home food and the use of a straw. Please please please ditch the worn out deck chairs, ratty beach towels. Carnival uses solid blue towels that wear better... TRY IT! I suggest bathrooms in cabins be cleaned a bit more thoroughly. Pictures should be cleaned once in a while and new tv's would be great.

 

Getting stories straight would also be wonderful. Do we get robes or don't we? I have always had robes in the closet and others in my party had them and never asked. So which is it?

 

Lastly, Matt Baker made some valid points during his shows and his advice could go far on the ship staff. His energy needs to be transferred to those that work front lines with the guests.

 

I appreciated the bottle of wine and the platter of food left in my cabin after I sent off a letter to the front desk suggesting some changes. However, I left the bottle in the room as I don't drink and I would prefer instead to have the things I requested in the letter and not have to ask for them. A person trusts a brand for it's quality, commitment to it's customers and the ability to deliver as promised. Maybe we just became spoiled on other NCL ships and it is our own fault?

 

We are booked on the Epic on November 5th 2011 and I will once again hang my Cruise Critic door sign up on my cabin door in hopes that NCL will know that inside that room is a loyal customer hoping to get their monies worth and be rewarded for their loyalty and what they paid for in good faith!

 

The ball is now in your court NCL.... are you listening????

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

I just arrived home last evening and I thought I would take the time to share my experience with others.

 

This 9 day Caribbean cruise had been booked for several months and we spent those months waiting in anticipation for our turn to come aboard the Dawn. She wasn't without issues the last several months and ports were cancelled due to mechanical issues. We prayed that the problems would be resolved by the time our turn came and we wouldn't be disappointed. The Dawn delivered all 5 ports Samana, Tortola, Antigua, Barbado's and St. Kitts.

 

The ship is a wonderful floating city of fun and we were never bored while we were cruising on her. We knew going in that she is slated for dry dock in May so our expectations weren't too high.

 

The ship was in good shape when we climbed aboard. The embarkation was painless and we were able to head to our stateroom immediately. Once there we did a once over and checked out the room and our surroundings.

 

Our room was a balcony state room which consisted of two beds pushed together, a couch, table and chair, bathroom with water closet and the usual storage space. All in all the room was adequate for the two of us.

 

The room wasn't without issues however. I found the cleanliness in the bathroom to be lacking, dust on picture frame and above TV set etc. We had to request on three different occasions to have someone fix our safe as we could not access it. The couch had stains as did the duvet cover and the sheets. The beach towels were dingy and stained. One of our bathroom towels even had holes in it. Upon looking in the closet for bathrobes I realized there were none there. I asked the room steward and he said they were out to be cleaned and would arrive the next day. This never happened. I did talk to the front desk and they said they were only in the room if requested? I found this to be odd as I have never had to request robes. The mere fact that I spoke to the front desk and the steward would suggest that "hey how about some robes?" Even after two enquiries, the robes never made it.

 

We had problems with the disappearing bath mat and beach towels. Both we requested but the bath mat never materialized until I wrote a letter to the front desk. In that letter I mentioned 14 things that I found lacking compared to previous NCL cruises.

 

During our 10 day cruise we spent most of the time without a bath mat, ony 2 towel animals until the letter hit the front desk. Sloppy housekeeping in the mornings up until the letter was written and delivered. Our beach towels were taken and not replaced so we had to request them a second time. The beach towels were dingy and stained with yellow. They were very worn looking. Our duvet cover and sheets had stains and the room was dusty. Our cabin steward although there, seemed to lack an eye for detail. He claimed he had been with the ship for 12 years but we felt the level of service did not compare to the exceptional service we had received on all previous cruises (3) in 2010.

 

The deck chairs at the front of the ship in the quiet area really need to be replaced. Most chairs were worn, ripped and had lost their ability to hold a person comfortably. This was annoying because you had to go through several chairs, move them about etc. until you found the right one. At times we felt like Goldilocks doing this.

 

On a previous NCL cruise we enjoyed ice cream machines that were user friendly. On this cruise an attendant was there running the machine. The ice cream was vanilla and strawberry but no chocolate. There was no lemonade during the day and only ice tea and water was offered.

 

My previous NCL cruise in the Mexican Riviera seemed to be filled with smiling staff that was eager to please. We found the staff to be average and luke warm on this cruise. There were pockets of helpful happy staff but it was not epidemic by no means. At times we felt that we were an annoyance to some staff. Although others on the ship had a different outcome, we did not find that one staffer that stood out and went above and beyond. On other cruises we have always found memorable and exceptional staff. Hector, Made, and Siti, Mark to name a few.

 

In Spring 2010 during a Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Star, I got use to having late night chocolate chip cookies with my tea. These cookies were no where to be found on this cruise except on two occasions where I hijacked them from the kids buffet bar. I felt like I was playng hide and seek with my food.

 

The quality of the menu we found is now lacking. During the Star cruise we dined on duck, bisque soups, more adventurous desserts. This cruise found more gelatin based desserts and fewer pies and cakes as viable options. The pudding/ jello type treats reminded us of school cafeterias and old folks homes. Where are those decadent desserts NCL?

 

The shows on the ship were spectacular as usual. Matt Baker did a wonderful job and his Wiki wiki wahhhh is now engrained in my brain till eternity.... thanks Matt! It's Bingo Time takes a close second!

 

Josie and Patti were AWESOME. We loved their shows and especially their 70's rock review in the atrium. I know I speak for everyone when I say they were an asset to that ship.

 

The magic, juggling and Bollywood shows were all delightful and well received by all that saw them.

 

We love the look of the ship and the cute nautical decor on the 10th floor. We noticed a few cosmetics that are allowing Dawn to show her age but we also know she is heading to dry dock for a much needed break and facelift. We are sure she will be shining like a new penny when she heads back to sea.

 

My suggestions to NCL would be to work on staff morale, think about more comfortable beds that dont include a seam that one partner must sleep on, re-think the menu (we like the old one better), lay off the jello and pudding based desserts and try more pies, cakes, cookies and anything that doesn't resemble nursing home food and the use of a straw. Please please please ditch the worn out deck chairs, ratty beach towels. Carnival uses solid blue towels that wear better... TRY IT! I suggest bathrooms in cabins be cleaned a bit more thoroughly. Pictures should be cleaned once in a while and new tv's would be great.

 

Getting stories straight would also be wonderful. Do we get robes or don't we? I have always had robes in the closet and others in my party had them and never asked. So which is it?

 

Lastly, Matt Baker made some valid points during his shows and his advice could go far on the ship staff. His energy needs to be transferred to those that work front lines with the guests.

 

I appreciated the bottle of wine and the platter of food left in my cabin after I sent off a letter to the front desk suggesting some changes. However, I left the bottle in the room as I don't drink and I would prefer instead to have the things I requested in the letter and not have to ask for them. A person trusts a brand for it's quality, commitment to it's customers and the ability to deliver as promised. Maybe we just became spoiled on other NCL ships and it is our own fault?

 

We are booked on the Epic on November 5th 2011 and I will once again hang my Cruise Critic door sign up on my cabin door in hopes that NCL will know that inside that room is a loyal customer hoping to get their monies worth and be rewarded for their loyalty and what they paid for in good faith!

 

The ball is now in your court NCL.... are you listening????

 

Your observations were similar to ours, there was no WOW factor in this cruise, yes it was nice to get away and be in the sun and not work, but its those small things that make it a memorable cruise, NCL did not deliver. I felt nickel and dimed throughout the cruise and unfortunately will not consider them in making plans for our next cruise.

 

I do hope your Epic cruise will make up for your disappointment

 

Enjoy!

[winehappy]

lol...yep, we had the mysterious missing bath mat and beach towel issue, and I grabbed chocolate chip cookies from the kids buffett, too!

 

We had a little better experience with the staff, but were traveling with people in the garden villa (who by the way had new beach towels throughout the trip!), so I think that helped us get better than average staff. Our room steward couldn't remember everything everyday it seemed...he was a nice enough guy, but we had to ask for stuff he forgot each day. The general cleanliness was fine...although, as you said, things just looked beat up.

 

Took pictures of the buckets everywhere, the missing bench seat in the buffet, the duct tape holding up trim in one hallway, missing buttons in the elevator, etc. Glad the Dawn will dry dock soon - she needs it!

 

Captain was great and very conversational on the bridge tour and during meetings with him.

 

We only did one show - the 2nd City one, which was mostly a repeat of last year.

 

The constant "additional charges" seem to be reproducing at a rapid rate and are getting annoying.

 

Food was good...but we've noticed since freestyle was introduced, a general downslide in quality. They've definately gone to cheaper ingredients, and smaller portions on the more expensive ingredients.

 

Overall, though, we had a great time and enjoyed the outstanding weather and smooth seas we had on this trip.

[Warmer Climes]

Wow. We were on the Dawn two years ago. Has it gone downhill this fast? These reviews are kind of discouraging to me, especially the comments about the service (which was excellent on our Dawn cruise.)

 

One thing I can say is that you recent Dawn cruisers on this thread are really great cruisers because you didn't let the things you didn't like ruin your cruise. I go on every cruise determined to have fun since I have paid for fun but I would not be as cheerful about these recent Dawn cruises as you guys are on this thread.

 

Barb

[Warmer Climes]

Sorry-double post

[janerd]

Hey Jokelady.We had the same issue with the beach towels.Our steward,Oswald left us one on the first day.I asked for two more and finally got them.Then he took them and didn't replace them.I asked him again for three towels,this is like day three.After that I just hid them in the closet,and just exchanged them myself when needed.Also we didn't have robes either the first day or two,we weren't sure if we got them or not(we were in a mini-suite)not knowing NCL very well but they just appeared one day.

 

I couldn't agree more about the deserts,most looked like they used an ice cream scoop and plopped them down on a dish. What Sara Lee desert are they serving tonight Jane and I would joke.Did you try the pretzel rolls,not the round ones but the long thin ones.They were great,I had two every night after I found them on the buffet.

 

We thought the Dawn was in good shape,for her age,we did see the buckets around.It looked to me they were having trouble with the sprinkler system or AC system.Our room was nice and the balcony was also very nice.

 

Dave Heenan(is that right)was very funny we thought.Not vulgar or filled with curse words.It was nice meeting you and your hubby.Mike and family.

[aquaman92]

Your observations were similar to ours, there was no WOW factor in this cruise, yes it was nice to get away and be in the sun and not work, but its those small things that make it a memorable cruise, NCL did not deliver. I felt nickel and dimed throughout the cruise and unfortunately will not consider them in making plans for our next cruise.

 

I do hope your Epic cruise will make up for your disappointment

 

Enjoy!

We were on the Dawn back in Dec 2010 I see not much has changed.Did they wash the windows yet?

[Jokelady]

Amazing.... that 588 people have read this post and no one disagrees. I guess the proof is in the pudding. I sure hope NCL fixes the issues during drydock.

[bobthebrit]

@Jokelady - I would suggest that many of the 588 readers (myself included) will be travelling on the Dawn in the next few weeks and are seeking information.

 

We're travelling on the final cruise before dry-dock, It will be interesting to see staff attitudes on that final cruise.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

Amazing.... that 588 people have read this post and no one disagrees. I guess the proof is in the pudding. I sure hope NCL fixes the issues during drydock.

 

I disagree. I wrote a mostly positive review of my Dawn sailing in Jan 2011 and over 1500 people viewed it and for the most part agreed with me. So what does that prove? Absolutely nothing.

 

 

I find most of your complaints to be trivial and insignificant:

• No chocolate chip cookies (that might be a big deal to me...if I was 5 years old.)
  
• Dust on a picture frame (So what? I would not even mention something so trivial in a review)
  
• Holes in the towels (did this really impact how well they worked when you dried off?)
  
• Only 2 towel animals (again if I was 5 years old this might be a big deal)
  
• No chocolate frozen ice cream (see above comments regarding 5 year olds)
  
• No free lemonade (I've never had free lemonade on any NCL cruise)
  

 

Sounds like you went on this cruise looking to find fault. That's not how I cruise. When I get on a ship, I'm looking for fun......not fault.

[Jokelady]

On the contrary. Those few mentions were minor in comparison to other things we encountered on the ship.

 

I was on this cruise with 87 other cruise critic members. They all had similar issues as you will see with some of their other posts.

 

I have been on other NCL cruises and did not find similar issues and did find that overall the morale on this ship is down from others. This came directly from staff as well. Part of it is the upcoming dry dock that will find staff not at sea thus not making tips etc.

 

To you little things may not matter but they are things I am starting to see a decline in.

 

I did not see the same friendliness on this cruise as I have on past NCL cruises and I heard that from many. Although our cabin steward was a nice guy, things were amiss many days. Like other fellow CC members, we had to ask for things. Now I am human and not perfect, it is merely an observation from previous NCL cruises.

 

I found the desserts to be sub par and I think maybe cruise lines need to opt for quality and not quantity. Because of the recession maybe they should have less dessert choices and stick with sure fire winners.

 

Cookies may not be a big deal for you but it's the little things people look forward to on a cruise with certain lines. It certainly didn't ruin my cruise or anything like that but many little things add up to the suggestion that cruise lines are cutting back and or things are being missed.

 

I give all the credit in the world to the cruise staff. They work 12 hours a day 7 days a week during their contracts. They work for far less then any North American would work for. I certainly would not want their job. However, at the end of the day, we the customer book cruises, vacations, buy cars etc based on what our needs are and what the cruise lines/ car companies are offering. I book cruises based on my needs and desires and past experiences. I certainly would not re-book on a cruise line if I felt I was not getting my monies worth.

 

Previous posters mentioned buckets everywhere. I saw a few but not as many as in past postings. This might suggest that the cruise line is rectifying the problem. I also did not see the duct tape holding mouldings on but it doesn't mean it wasn't there. I did see a ceiling tile missing but that doesn't ruin my cruise. The reason we share these posts is to let others know of our experiences.

 

Would I cruise NCL again? Of course I will. I am booked on the Epic on November 5th. Do I think there is room for improvement... always. Should a company such as NCL listen to cruisers? Absolutely! Is constructive criticism important... you bet. A better product almost always ensures higher sales if marketed effectively.

 

The Dawn is a beautiful ship that is a little tired and she needs a little TLC. I would sail on her again in a heart beat. We are merely pointing out our experiences as trivial as they may be for you they may be a bit more important to others. All in all, every bit of information posted on CC helps others to gain insight on their upcoming cruises so they can make informed decisions and fully understand the experience that lays ahead.

 

I look forward to my Caribbean cruise aboard the Epic in November and I am already looking for cruises to other ports of call that we have yet to visit. I look forward to all of your future posts regarding cruising Dr. Jack as I am sure they will be insightful, full of wisdom and we can all draw some value from them.

 

Just remember the people on the cruises before us had not so happy experiences with the fire on board and many missed ports. I am sure they would have something to say here. Each cruises has it's share of moments, some happy and some... not so much.

 

Happy sailings to you and yours.

 

Jokelady

 

P.S. always remember that no item in life is too small and sometimes even the simplest thing such as a cookie could be important to someone. Someone like me that enjoyed a cookie and a tea with her dead husband. The smallest things in life are usually the most cherished and missed.

[VonChap]

We were on this sailing and had a GREAT cruise. It was our second time on the Dawn in 6 months. Loved every minute of it. A lot of the crew remembered us from our last Dawn cruise.

 

We must of had everyone's beach towels and bath floor mats in our cabin :) because we always had a huge supply of towels. Our room stewards were swapping those beach towels out a few times a day. (We were in an inside cabin)

 

Looking forward to sailing on the Dawn again sometime in the future,

 

Kim

[que3jxp]

We keep getting lucky in that each ship in the NCL fleet we have been on finished major refit a few months or weeks before we were on it. We are due on the Dawn July 22 destined for Bermuda.

 

I agree with BOTH the OP and the critique of the critique. When you cruise, you should be in a different state of mind. A VACATION state of mind. 2 years ago when on the Spirit to Bermuda, we were in line getting our room key replaced and there were people there (only a few) that were making a federal case out of something extremely trivial. What it was exactly I do not remember but I DO remember that my wife and I were in full agreement that their behaviors were way out of line.

 

Businesses NEED TO and MUST be held to account. Hold them to account but do not sweat the small stuff. I had a $10,000 overbill on my Bell Mobility bill back in Sept and I was pissed but pitching a fit was not productive. I held my tongue and was a proper as I could be and I got the whole situation fixed. But it never made me hate using my cell phone.

 

My general expectation on a cruise is that it should be better than staying in an average hotel. If it is, then yay. If it is not, THEN it is time to point this out to people. If they don't take you serious, then come back here and post about it :) The internet is awesome for that. It is why I showed up out of the blue as I am eagerly awaiting the Dawn to go to DD.

 

Oh and our first NCL sailing was on the Majesty only weeks after she was stretched. We missed the fire they had but would not have bugged out as some passengers did. Boo... Now I am missing the fact that we will not be docked in St George. :(