Dawn info and review.Long

[morningglorymish]

First time cruiser review of Dawn. This is truly a sight to see upon arrival at pier 88.I had read so many wonderful things about this ship and hoped she would meet the expectations.

Boarded at 11am because no passengers disembarking since she had been in drydock. I would later realize this was a pure treat. Disembarking in NY was ugly. Just have patience. No one's fault,just many people embarking and disembarking.

Room is nice and layed out well and I never used my over the door shoe rack. There was so much room for all our stuff. And let me just explain, 4 of us had 4 lg pieces of luggage and 5 carry ons.And we were a cat C room . No big deal on space.I had 12 prs of shoes as did my daughter.

Room was clean.Bedding is showing signs of wear.

Called twice about bar set up so it would be there upon arrival. It was not there. Called desk and she said there was no order for that. I had to go down to reception and bring my print out . She then asked me if it would be ok to have delivery tomorrow. Normally ,I would say yes, but I knew I would be down at the desk again .She made copies and they delivered the rum to my room. And then they tried to deliver another one the next day.:) They also called the next day to make sure my bar order was delivered.:) They are good . There is always a follow up.

This is not a complaint. There are always going to be glitches. Just a reminder to make sure you get a confirmation bar set up sent to email and print and bring a copy with you.

Enjoyed a wonderful lunch in venetian and a great dinner in Aqua. The main restaurants are excellent and the quality of food is great. Impressions is my favorite . More intimate if you can imagine on this ship full. PS there were 1200 children on this voyage and you would never know it.

Heard also that we set the record for Choc consumption.500lbs.Baby got back.:D

 

CC meeting in the Star Ba was so nice. Good choice for meeting. We were about 30 . And several officials were there including Hugo the Hotel Director , Paul Baya the CD.

Side note: There was a person who posted that they wanted to do a sort of informal wedding abord the Dawn. The person in charge of on board events was there and I gave her the post with the email address you posted. I hope that works out.Good luck.

Hugo is the new Hotel Director for the Dawn and he urged us all to please let him know if there was anything he could help us with . Do not wait to let him know.They also handed out their cards

 

I loved my CC group. Liz will forever be referred to as my mom.Jim and Diane. Did Jim tell you I asked him to put on your night gown for the scavenger hunt?thank god he didn't. We raced around that ship and evereyone got a participation prize. They barely looked at what you had found . Thank god we didnt find -A man in a nightgown.Ken , enjoyed running into you also. Gil and Ari, love ya. Bumped into you everywhere . Sorry to have missed jane and Jim after we posted so much. Bob and Donna we just always ran into. And when exactly did you sleep BOb? you were at every clinic, workshop, trivia, . Big burly Bob was at napkin folding. I love it. And I know this because his wife Donna explained why they didn't make the Liar's Club. (don't miss this , it is hysterical.)Bob was wowing my favirite waiter at Impressions with his napkin folding.

Salomeo is our waiter from Impressions. We ate there twice and he was with us both times. Even sending us back to the room with a hot meal for our seasick daughter. If you see Salomeo. Let him know we spoke of him on the boards. And I made sure to let the man who runs Impressions know we loved his restaurant and Salomeo.

Impressions runs very smooth and effortlessly. I don't see or feel that high paced race from the waiters. In part to the more intimate set up of the rest. Venetian was excellent and the service was great and Joey Cagney always came around to smile and welcome you to his place. He was also at Aqua and Cagney's Steak house. He is perfect at his job. He is a people person , smiling and happy to have you with him.

Venetion is a large rest.Absolutely beautiful.Chocoholic buffet is held here. The food and service is great but it is like being in a catering hall for a wedding and watching the traveling trays scooting about on a grand scale.This is not a complaint. I just prefer to feel like I'm in a restaurant.Service was always good . Bartender made me the most perfect Mojito.Waiter brought wrong wine and wrong dessert one time . So what, I 'm far from perfect.

Salsa was very good and I was sure to order the hot and cold tapas as recommended on these boards. Very nice . Sandee in Salsa is another good waiter . I loved Salsa and the margarita was excellent .

Garden Buffet was really good. Breakfast lunch and dinner. Never did Italian place.Booked solid.

Let me tell you a nice story about Hugo now. My husband and I don't fly . The only way to get someplace out side usa is to cruise. Since we are from Ny we felt lucky we could cruise right from here to see Bahamas. My husband was happy for that. I was happy and hoping for that private island. My husband hates the beach. Been to Florida many times because we drive there.

We went to Great Stirrup Cay on Thurs. and on Good Friday hit Bahamas for a shorten day on Friday when everything was closed. W canceled our excursion because we would not have even been able to walk around the streets because the day in Bahamas was cut by 2 hrs.Why did n't the take us to GSC on Friday?We heard they did that last year because bahamas were closed for Good Friday last yer as well.

My husband spoke with someone who eventually agreed to set up a meet with Hugo Hotel Dircetor. My husband explained that the main reason we decided on this trip was for the Bahamas and that he was very upset that they shorten the time and we had to cancel our excursion just to get a look around at Nassau.

Hugo treated us to a lovely meal and a bottle of wine at Cagney's.It was just an excellent meal . And it helpedease the anger of the canceled excursion and shortened trip in Nassau.

Tip- I saw 2 fish at the pier in Nassau.Thought I would bring back some bread while in Nassau to the pier to draw some more exotic fish to top. NO bread everything closed, but did you know they like Dunkin Donuts?3/4 of a donut created the prettiest feeding frenzy. A loaf of bread at the pier is an excursion. I promise. Too pretty .Don't even think about going aboard to get a piece of bread . Out of the question. Asked security .NO.

 

Great fun at spinnaker Lounge party ever night.

Sun-80's

Mon- 70s groove

Tues-50's 60's sock hop. Elvis impersonations. Laugh out loud.

Wed-South Beach Fiesta

Thus.Liar Club-Bob was there

Shows were great productions.

Edge was my favorite. The Art of Manipulation . What's that?Just, Go! Go Go! You will be so glad .Bob was there. Everyone agreed he(Edge not Bob) was one of the favorite shows.

Second city show was fun. Bob was there. Workshop was hysterical. Bob was there.

Really Bob is your best source of detailed and complete Dawn info.

Cruise director Paul Baya was so very funny. I couldn't wait to be at an event he held/ hosted/ran. . i knew I would be laughing out loud. Nothing to worry about if Paul is your CD. and his assistant Mike. Abott and Costello . Loved them. Good job playing off each other. You are in for a real treat with these guys.

Entire crew was a pleasure . Never saw any member looking upset , or angry with a guest. And I saw some grumpy guests. Just the highest level of professionalism.

Dawn is regal. She is smooth and well maintained . Clean. Someone is always cleaning , scrubbing, painting, sweeping etc.

More to come as I think of it. Tired . Still swaying. When does that end? Bob?

Michele

I have pics once I figure how to post them.

[Dolphins]

Glad to see you enjoyed your Dawn experience. The information you provided will be useful to future Dawn cruisers. Many thanks for posting.

[debjo]

For morningglorymish...

Thanks for your review...makes me wish "Bob" was going to be on our 4/24 cruise! We're busy reading and planning all the things we want to do on our upcoming trip...our second on the DAWN. It was nice to learns of some "new" things!

 

Tell me more about the SCAVENGER HUNT...this is something new and we'd like to check it out...when and where was it held?

 

Debjo (who's cruise date can't come fast enough!)

[DPurcell58]

Yes, we were on the Dawn last year and they switched GSC to Good Friday since stores would be closed in the Bahamas on Friday. They only announced on Wed. or Thurs on the ship though.

[morningglorymish]

Meet in Library Sat 4:00pm .i'm pretty sure that's right. Can't find Sat Freestyle Dailly. Check in , get list and they write time on top of paper and off you go. 1/2 hr to get all your stuff. Hint Go to spinnakers for many things right down hall from library. Although this was on the Freestyle daily it was mostly kids maybe 11 and under and when we came back panting, me too,the woman didn't make us take everything out. She did a quick visual and told the kids to pick a keychain or a ball as a prize.Kids didn't care they still loved it. I would have liked a big full blown scavenger hunt.

[morningglorymish]

Yes Dpurcell -That is a much better idea. That must not have worked well enough last year if they didn't do it this year.

[jrose529]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I can't wait for my 8-14-05 cruise! You gave me so many ideas to add to my list of "must do's". ;) I only hope that we get a big group of CC members for our trip. It sounds like you had a fabulous time.

 

What is Liars Club? I've been reading about that and would love to know more. :D

 

How old are your kids and did they have a great time as well? My DH and I are cruising with our DS (21) & DD (16) and I am hoping they find alot to do.

[family4]

It is so nice to hear from others who have just been on the Dawn. There are so many things I want to do when I get on the ship, I know 1 thing at a time.

 

I can't wait to see the look on my kids eyes when they see how large the ship really is. We keep showing them pictures however we all know that a picture doesn't do it any justice. This will be the kids first cruise.

 

Thank you again for all your information and insight. It sound like you had a great time.

 

I'm also glad to see how understanding you were, considering some mix ups.

 

Liz

[lorn63vt]

Liz,

 

I feel the same way you do about seeing the look on the kids faces when they step on board. We are cruising the Dawn April 10, first cruise for the kids. You are right, you just cant explain to them the magnificence of the ship. (mine are 12 and 9).

Morningglorymish, Thank you for the great review! I, too, am wondering what is the Liars club? Iv'e seen many people post about it, but not sure what it is.

[oLEEander]

A take off of a game show where a celebrity panel (read cruise director, and 2nd city comedians) tries to convince the audience that each of their definitions of a word is the correct one. Much funnier in person than the explanation here.. trust me.

[Beeper16]

A Brief explanation of Liar's Club....

they go a panel of 4 people 2 of whom were comedians from the Second City,

One was Edge,and the assistant Cruise director made the 4th panelist. Basically the came up with 4 word and the meanings were explained by the panelists. the trick was to try and pick who was telling the truth. The audience was divided up into teams 1-10. For example...one of the words was Crapulence....the meaning is on over-indulgence in highly fatty foods. the panelists definitions were just soooo funny! I hope all of you get a chance to witness this game..it's very funny!

Also...don't miss the crew's talent show.....there is some real talent...and some....funny moments as well!

Don't miss the Cruise Director's slide show on the Dawn..it was on Saturday at 4pm....everything that you want to know about the Dawn.....and the Captain was there and did answer questions for more than 1/2 hour with so much grace!

Enjoy the Dawn....such a wonderful ship and cruise...you wil all love every minute!

[hurrhugo]

A great review, Michele!

 

"Did Jim tell you I asked him to put on your night gown for the scavenger hunt?thank god he didn't."

 

NO! He didn't tell me about that part! Now THAT would have been a picture! Kyle (my son) did the scavenger hunt and his group won CD players! Was the one for teens the same one you did?

 

Wasn't Hugo V. a doll? He really went out of his way for us as well. I so enjoyed running into/hanging out with you and Walt and all the other CC'ers! Really helped to make the trip!

[hurrhugo]

Your kids are going to love it! Mine (13 and 17 - sounds funny saying that! He turned 17 during the cruise) were a little overwhelmed at first, but by the end of that first day at sea, they had made friends and we occasionally got to see them for the rest of the cruise!

If they go to the teen get together the first night and nothing really clicks, just gently suggest giving one of the teen activities one more try. That did it for mine!

[jrose529]

What type of activities did they have for teens? My 16 year old had so much fun on DCL Magic last summer and is worried that nothing will compare. Did your kids get involved with the activities or did they just hang out with their new friends?

[Suesan Jean]

:) GREAT REVIEW!!! Thank you VERY MUCH!!! We will be on our FIRST Dawn cruise in ~17~ DAYS!!! I am besides myself with excitement!!! If you think of more to say, PLEASE tell us!! I just love hearing about the Dawn....

 

Suesan:):):)

[morningglorymish]

the cruise was great. i met the greatest kids ever. we played basketball all day and sat in the blue lagoon and ate food. there was some great tournaments that you can get involved with like the basketball and dodgeball tournament. My team won the bball and dodgeball tournament and there was alot of hard competition. The last day was the best but the worst, we had so much fun together that i had to remember these people so i bought a disposable camera and took pics of them. Im tellin you to buy camera when u get there. Try and get pics as the fun begins not when it ends. I wish i was still on Norwegian. The hot tubs and pools are great especially at night. If u want any questions just ask .

Now back to mom and what I remember. Hot tub pizza party for teens.

From the teen weekly program.Some stand out events.

Sun-2 truths and a lie.

Mon-Millionaire,Teen scavenger Hunt,Choc Buffet, Board game challenge, Teen newly met game. Teen night club bring own cd's.

Tues-Night time BBall, Hottub pizza party, Register for Teen murder mystery dinner.

Wed-Murder Mystery dinner 5:30, Comedy of 2nd city,Cranium

Thurs-Beach Volley ball( Please make the kids wear sunscreen. My son had sun poison that was oozing. Eeew. He has never had sunburn. Olive skin.)Dodgeball, Waterballoon toss.Caribbeean Deck Party.

Fri-Teen Survivor, Hunt it down and wear it well?(I have know idea what some of this stuff is.)

Sat-Matrix movie and hunt, Star seekers show,Farewell party.

Buy the kids disposable cameras before you go. $10 on ship.

He also met teens from Germany and various countries.

Teens have been talking on instant messenger ever since.

Liar's club is like the game Balderdash.

Be sure and enjoy the great music from the reggae band. They were playing on the island under that beautiful hot sun. After a few beers from the Bucket O Beers

you'll be swaying to the soulful music. One of the memories I will hold dear.

[debjo]

For morningglorymish...

Who is the current Captain of the DAWN? Last year the ship's Master was Captain Idar Hoydal. He was very entertaining and cordial. Due to some bad weather, he made the wonderful decision to switch our Private Island day and Nassau day around, which gave us some great weather & sunshine!Hopefully, we'll see him again at the end of April!

Debjo

[jrose529]

My daughter was sitting here as I read your son's and your message. She is really getting excited! :D The teen program looks great. I'm sure she'll find plenty to do. She's looking forward to meeting new friends.

 

I really appreciate your help. :) It gives us all alot to look forward to! Did you notice many young adults onboard? I hope my 21 year old DS finds plenty to do as well.

 

Thank your son for us. He was a big help.

[morningglorymish]

Debjo I don't think that was the captain. If someone said his name I might know. Bob knows , they met the Capt at the slide show presentation of the Dawn. Heard he comes from a family that has been doing this for years. Check out Ncl Dawn3-20 roll call thread. I see Bob posted over there and he will be able to give more detail.

 

Spring break , plenty of 21 yr old. Can be found at spinnakers, karoke and hot tubs. There will be plenty. Don't forget this ship is hot. Everyone wants to be on it.

[morningglorymish]

Wrong link

 

 

I think this is the link for my photos.

[morningglorymish]

http://community.webshots.com/user/morningglorymish

 

This should be it . Some stuff is not quite right , but better than nothing.

[Welove2cruise2]

Thanks for taking the time! Brings back lots of great memories!

[lorn63vt]

mORNINGGLORYMISH,

Do you know if 12 year olds (she will be 13 in 3 months) are allowed to participate in any of the teen activities?

[morningglorymish]

Go to the children's rex center the first night when they open. Whether you want to sign your child up or not . Get a 10-12 yr old program for the week .See the teen disco area where many events happen.Deck 13.

My daughter is 11 and didn't do too much with the counselor's. 2 things maybe, but she's different than my son. She hung with us much of the time.

Monday -Helicopter making, Suvivor Challenges, Crazy Cruisin Nicknames

Tues-2 truths and a lie, Liars Club, Big Fat Liar Movie in Rex center and snack.

Wed-Sports night wear sneaks,7-10pmDeck 14

Thurs.Sand Castles, Feed the Fish, Water Balloon Toss,Act Out

Fri-unior American Idol, Dance Party

Sat-Bingo, List-o Rama?Family pizza making, Pajama Party.

 

I would bet the counselors would let your daughter hang with the older children.

Did she meet any kids from the Roll Call?That's a good place for start.

[lorn63vt]

My daughter is 12 and the friend she is bringing on the cruise is 13. I would hate to have to have them seperate from each other because they cant do the same activities because of the 1 year age difference.