Summit, NCl Gem, NCL Dawn

[vacationhappy]

Hi -

 

We have been looking at all three ships - we live in the NE so all three of these ships are being considered. We have cruised quite a bit on Princess, Celebrity, and RCL - once on Carnival. 2 adults, 2 teens. All three ships are spending about the same amt of time in Bermuda...we have never cruised NCL but we are open to new experiences.

 

It seems like the Dawn has had some negastive reviews recently - has anyone cruised it recently? Does it really need an overhaul? How about the Gem or the Summit?

 

All feedback welcome....

[PattiKake]

Can't comment on NCL, have sailed to Bermuda with them once and we've had no interest returning to any of their ships. We're loyal fans of Celebrity, a class above NCL, love the Summit, we're sailing on her in May.

 

Pat

[youngestof9]

The Dawn is going into drydock in May - expect her to be good as new when she's done! Not sure when you're considering sailing, but she'll be nice and spiffy!

 

We're sailing the Gem - never sailed her before, but it's newer than the Dawn and has had great reviews. We wanted to sail from NY.

 

I like the freestyle aspect - dine when you want, with whom you want, wearing what you want (almost ;) )

 

I was debated RC Explorer of the Seas, but it didn't give me enough time in Bermuda, so I chose the Gem.

[LOWTYD]

I don't what happened after sailing only one NCL ship that made PK decide not to sail any fo them, but I happen to like NCL. I like the Freestyle concept, (Not for everyone) I have never met a nicer crew, if you sail in a suite , they have one of the best suuite perk s at sea IMHO and I have never thought any of the ships I sailed on needed an "overhaul". The Dawn will be going into drydock on May. They will be adding some cabins and doing some routine maintainence to spruce her up. I have two upconing cruises on her. SHe is smaller than the Gem but I like her. The Gem was the newest ship before the Epic. She statred sailing in late 2007, I sailed her in 2008 and did a couple CTN's on her. It's a beautiful ship and, again, it is Freestyle so if you don't like structure you can eat when you want, dress up or not and just go with the flow. Not sure where the class status comes from, but I have sailed Celebrity before (not the Summit) and I did enjoy it very much, but I just prefer NCL.

I hope you enjoy what ever cruiseline you choose.:)

[njhorseman]

The Dawn will have had its overhaul by the time you can take her to Bermuda...she's going into drydock prior to the start of her Boston to Bermuda cruise season.

 

NCL and Celebrity are the two lines we have cruised with most frequently, and despite their differences we have enjoyed our cruises on both.

 

NCL is laid back and casual...no formal nights and very loose dress code, with all dining being "freestyle"...no fixed dining room seatings.

 

Celebrity is more formal...dress codes tend to be enforced, and most passengers opt for fixed seating dining, and most dining room pace is allocated to fixed seating. In our opinion, the "freestyle" dining is a better choice for the Bermuda itinerary, because you spend so much time off the ship. It's nice not to have to be back for dinner at a set time.

 

NCL has a large selection of extra charge specialty restaurants...the Summit does not, but many think Celebrity's main dining room food is better than NCL's.

 

We generally found NCL's entertainment to be better than Celebrity's.

 

Celebrity has strict non-smoking restrictions for much of the ship, including cabins and the casino, while NCL allows smoking in cabins and the casino.

 

Although the Dawn and Gem have their differences in facilities and layout, overall the ships are more similar than different. I disagree with one thing LOWTYD said. The Dawn and Gem are very close in size. Both are 965 feet long and the Gem's gross tonnage is only slightly more than the Dawn's.

[Host Caroline]

We generally sail Princess and Carnival and prefer much more causal "anytime" genre than Celebrity. We are sailing on Summit to sail with the other hosts and the CC group; otherwise we probably would have sailed NCL to Bermuda.

You simply can't take one person's opinion of a cruise line as a basis for your decision on cruising. Port time is important on this itinerary and because you are in port so much it's not the same cruise experience as one where you "cruising" every evening and possibly several days of a 7-night cruise.

[jdarch]

I agree with almost everyone...dh and I have sailed different lines to Bermuda and we enjoyed every cruise..they are different..but isn't different but fun..what we want in each separate vacation? As you can see we LOVE Bermuda. This year we're going on the Summit...for a change..we also loved our Dawn cruises...we just needed a change and it's our 25th anniversary, so wanted to change it up a bit:p Have fun

[LOWTYD]

The Dawn will have had its overhaul by the time you can take her to Bermuda...she's going into drydock prior to the start of her Boston to Bermuda cruise season.

 

NCL and Celebrity are the two lines we have cruised with most frequently, and despite their differences we have enjoyed our cruises on both.

 

NCL is laid back and casual...no formal nights and very loose dress code, with all dining being "freestyle"...no fixed dining room seatings.

 

Celebrity is more formal...dress codes tend to be enforced, and most passengers opt for fixed seating dining, and most dining room pace is allocated to fixed seating. In our opinion, the "freestyle" dining is a better choice for the Bermuda itinerary, because you spend so much time off the ship. It's nice not to have to be back for dinner at a set time.

 

NCL has a large selection of extra charge specialty restaurants...the Summit does not, but many think Celebrity's main dining room food is better than NCL's.

 

We generally found NCL's entertainment to be better than Celebrity's.

 

Celebrity has strict non-smoking restrictions for much of the ship, including cabins and the casino, while NCL allows smoking in cabins and the casino.

 

Although the Dawn and Gem have their differences in facilities and layout, overall the ships are more similar than different. I disagree with one thing LOWTYD said. The Dawn and Gem are very close in size. Both are 965 feet long and the Gem's gross tonnage is only slightly more than the Dawn's.

 

 

AHHHHH. I didn't relize they were that close in size. Maybe it's the layout that deceived me.

The one thing I like about the Jewel class ships is the Great Outdoors buffet/bar on the back of the ship. The Dawn does not have this feature. It's a great little spot to sit and enjoy some fresh air and bite to eat.

[njhorseman]

AHHHHH. I didn't relize they were that close in size. Maybe it's the layout that deceived me.

The one thing I like about the Jewel class ships is the Great Outdoors buffet/bar on the back of the ship. The Dawn does not have this feature. It's a great little spot to sit and enjoy some fresh air and bite to eat.

 

I agree that the Great Outdoors on the Gem is a big plus...particularly when you're docked for a few days in a beautiful place like Bermuda.

[Delawarealan]

We have been on the Dawn to Bermuda and the Gem to the Caribbean and will be on the Gem to Bermuda in June. I seem to have better memories of the Gem, but they were both nice.

 

NCL and Celebrity are definitely different types of lines. I agree with the comment that the freestyle dining works well in Bermuda since we are still in port for dinner. I do think that NCL is pushing the specialty restaurants by making the main dining rooms a little less special, but it's still better than the food I make at home. I'm on vacation for the vacation, so do whatever floats your boat (couldn't resist the bad pun, sorry).

[kellyclayt]

Celebrity has strict non-smoking restrictions for much of the ship, including cabins and the casino, while NCL allows smoking in cabins and the casino. quote]

 

Exactly why I more and more want to sail on Celebrity. My husband spends a lot of time in the casino and it's so nice to have him come back to the cabin without reeking of smoke. We actually considered NCL for next summer because they sail out of Boston and we really wanted to spend a week in Boston, but we ended up going for the Summit and we will still spend our week in Boston, then take the train down to catch the ship. The smoking policy was a huge consideration for us.

 

 

I like to be informal sometimes too and while I would agree that most people dress up for formal nights, I have never seen it "enforced" and there is always the option of eating upstairs in the informal venue. They have the "my-time" dining option if you like that as well.

 

 

When it comes right down to it, most of us on this web site just love to cruise, so it's great that there are so many different cruise lines to meet our different desires!

[edawn]

I was on the Dawn to Bermuda last August and the Gem to the Bahamas last month. Overall, I liked both ships equally well but enjoyed different aspects of the ships. To me the buffet area is much nicer on the Gem. The seating is divided from the food lines so there is much less noise. Food quality in the buffet was about equal to me. We only went to the buffet twice on the Dawn due to crowds and the more cafeteria style seating. Blue Lagoon has a nicer seating area on the Gem, too. On the Dawn, the seating area is like a hallway...reminds me of McDonald's. On the Gem it's more...intimate, I guess. Nicer furnishings. Less diner like. As far as the food goes in the main dining rooms, I preferred the Dawn. Service was also better on the Dawn in all the dining venues, for us. It was slow and spotty on the Gem. The band, Next Stage on the the Dawn was awesome. I can't remember the band name on the Gem but it just wasn't as good.

 

We really had a blast on both ships! Haven't been on the Summit.

[Summits Pal]

Summit's a great ship. Took it thru the Panama Canal a few yrs. ago. All Celebrity ships are a "cut above" most of the other lines. Have a suggestion - if you're interested. Buy a minimum of 100 shares of RCL stock and you get extra onboard credits everytime you cruise on RCL or Celebrity. Credits are determined by the length of your cruise. After you make your reservations and have a confirmation number, you can fax your proof of ownership to their headquarters and they'll put the credit directly on your account. If you cruise much, you'll get your initial investment back in no time with the onboard credits... Enjoy

[vacationhappy]

Thank you everyone - I ended up booking the Summit due to the smoking factor on the NCL ships. One of the people in my party has asthma so the smoking just ruled out NCL. Once again - thanks!

[kellyclayt]

Yay for you. When are you going?

Thank you everyone - I ended up booking the Summit due to the smoking factor on the NCL ships. One of the people in my party has asthma so the smoking just ruled out NCL. Once again - thanks!

[iheartbda]

Thank you everyone - I ended up booking the Summit due to the smoking factor on the NCL ships. One of the people in my party has asthma so the smoking just ruled out NCL. Once again - thanks!

Just be aware that cigarette smoking will only be permitted in designated indoor and outdoor areas of the ship, while cigar and pipe smoking will only be permitted in designated outdoor areas. Just look for those areas, avoid them and you should have no problem.....there are very of few areas.:)

 

Smoking will not be permitted in any dining venue, casino, theater, hallway, elevator or corridor, stateroom or veranda.

 

We enjoyed all our Celebrity cruises.:)