Pick your Favorite Restaurant on Dawn

[dongordon]

I am not familiar with the Dawn's restaurants.

 

I would like to get an opinion on the non-paying restaurants.

 

I hope I am correct assuming that the "main restaurants" are equal.

 

Hope I have this right.

 

Comments please.

 

Don

 

Sitmar: Fairsea, Fairwind, Fairsky (2)

Premier: Sea Breeze

RCI: Nordic Empress, Sovereign of the Seas (2)

Disney: Magic

Carnival: Imagination, Destiny, Victory

Celebrity: Millenium, Galaxy

[johnql]

I'm guessing that many cruisers will say that they do NOT consider the 3 main dining rooms to be equal. While their menus are more or less the same each night, the ambiance in each dining room is distinctive. To me, the Venetian (which is by far the biggest of the three) is grand, ornate and noisy. Aqua, with its mostly female staff, is intimate. Impressions is closer to Aqua in its ambiance and was probably my favorite.

 

Don't forget Blue Lagoon. While it's primarily a snack place, you can get a pretty full meal there. And it has many fans.

[marilynd]

Even though the Tempanaki restaurant in Bamboo is my favorite. Last June the chef did a great show and the food was really good

 

 

Marilyn

 

NCL Sun 4/02 - Carnival Elation 6/02 - NCL Norway 8/02

NCL Dawn 6/03 - RCI Monarch 1/04 - NCL Dawn 6/04

 

 

 

[marilynd]

I was going to say that even though the tempanaki restaurant is inside Bamboo is is really a separate restaurant. The charges are on an ala carte basis.

 

NCL Sun 4/02 - Carnival Elation 6/02 - NCL Norway 8/02

NCL Dawn 6/03 - RCI Monarch 1/04 - NCL Dawn 6/04

 

 

 

[gardencat]

Chosing only among the non-pay restaurants I'd have to say it was a toss up between Salsa and Aqua. The service we received in Aqua was great and our waitress beyond being efficient and eager to give us what we wanted also had a great sense of humour. That is not something I would class as a requirement but it is a nice extra when you find it. The only downside to Aqua for me was that it seemed to be the least well designed restaurant. There were to the best of my knowledge no windows and the ceiling seemed to be very low. Luckily I don't suffer from claustrophobia but I was aware of feeling that the ceiling was hanging apparently right over my head.

We loved the ambiance in Salsa. It felt much more open and the music of the piano playing in the lobby below drifted up making a pleasant background without interferring with conversation. The staff in Salsa also went out of their way to be helpful. The one disadvantage to Salsa for us was that the menu was more limited and since one of the members of our party doesn't care much for spicy mexican type food we wouldn't have wanted to dine there every night.

The Venitian was large and prehaps slightly noisy but also more grand feeling than the other restaurants though less intimate. We had breakfast and lunch there several days and enjoyed that especially when we were seated near the windows at the back of the ship.

Our worst dinning experience was in Impressions. Not the fault of the restaurant itself but of an absentminded or careless waiter who had to be asked 2 or 3 times for everything and who did not deliver my 'dinner' glass of wine till I was abo8ut ready for dessert. The decor in Impressions was nice enough but having received good service in the other restaurants why woulsd we go back there again and risk getting the same careless waiter?

We did not try the alternate restaurants since this cruise had been an unbudgeted spur of the moment vacation and we did want to keep costs down. In addition we were pleased enough with the regular restaurants that we did not feel the need to go elswhere and preferred to spend the extra money on excursions or a pre-dinner glass of champagne or cocktail.

[debjo]

Of the three main dining rooms, IMPRESSIONS was my favorite. The decor and ambiance was akin to that of LE BISTRO but without the "cost". Contrary to the previous poster, our wait staff in IMPRESSIONS was far and above the best of ALL the dining rooms..LE BISTRO included. For the money we spent at LE BISTRO, I expected the service and food to be far above that of the main "free" dining rooms. The evening we spent dining with the "masterworks paintings" seemed to be understaffed as far as personnel went. The few wait staff present seemed overly rushed and did not present attentive service at all. The only thing (besides the cost) that was different and "additional" over the main dining venues was that our entrees came with silver-plated domes over them to retain the heat. There was a "flourish" as the waiters lifted the covers simultaneously and our meal was observed for the first time. The filet minion with bearnaise sauce was not much different than the same entree we had in the VENETIAN dining room two nights later in the cruise.

 

I rank IMPRESSIONS above VENETIAN only because it's limited space created a more intimate dinner. On the other side of the coin, the vast accomodations of the VENETIAN dining room gave it a "grand" and more traditional feel for dinner on an ocean vessel. If you are lucky enough to get a table in the back by the windows that overlook the stern, you'll have a view that is unsurpassed by any on the ship...the trailing wake of the DAWN and perhaps a gorgeous sunset to match. We did not feel that the "noise" and "vibration" a problem as others have mentioned as a problem and detraction in the VENETIAN. In addition, the high ornamented ceilings and split staircase that descend into the room give it an aire of grandeur. It probably is one of the most classically beautiful areas of the DAWN.

 

We rank AQUA third of the three main dining rooms mostly because of it's more contemporary feel. It was not ornately decorated and therefore didn't have the ambiance we so liked in the other dining halls. The service in AQUA was fine and the food virtually the same as in the other "main" restaurants.

 

We did make reservations one night for LA TRATTORIA. Our service was excellent, the Italian menu offerings were lacking somewhat. I was surprised that they didn't offer Lasagna on the menu. The portions of the entrees that our party had were large...no one could finish...but then we'd been eating on this ship for several days and there was definitely more food than our stomachs could hold! The ambiance of the area was amazing considering that by day it is part of the GARDEN BUFFET! They go to a lot of trouble every evening to transform this part of the ship into an Italian eatery!

 

The GARDEN BUFFET is enormous...the largest buffet on any ship we've experienced. There truly is something for everyone...all the things you'd expect from salad fixings to dessert. One member of our group was a vegetarian and he was delighted that he found so much to eat at the buffet...there was a seperate section devoted to vegetarians! There were even many seafood offerings for those who prefer food from the seas. I like my meat and potatoes and there was always enough to keep me happy...especially good was the minute steak. Even the little ones have their own buffet area with food to suit their fancies. While there was a dessert section at the end of the line, an additional dessert "station" offered even more...including sugar free desserts. There was even a seperate "fruit" station! The only complaint I have about the GARDEN BUFFET is that it was ALWAYS crowded, probably because of it's proximity to the pool area. We always had trouble finding a table for our group of five. When we did...it usually needed to be cleaned. The GARDEN BUFFET is a good place to go for a quick meal. It takes you longer to go through the line (cafeteria style) and find a table than it does to eat your meal though!

 

We did not try BAMBOO or SALSA. Nor did we venture into the other "cover charge" restaurants for a meal. We did "visit" them for our Kodak moments. SALSA was very beautiful and well laid out around the Grand Atrium. The simulated stained glass ceilings were a feast for the eyes and there were many opportunities to have a table by a window.

CAGNEYS (a cover charge restaurant) at the top of the ship felt more like a bar featuring nostalgic 1950/60's black & white film pictures on the walls, from what I remember. I did not like the looks of the central grilling area. It made the restaurant look more like a cafeteria line.

 

BLUE LAGOON was fun for lunch...even though it was open 24 hours a day. The bright colors and neon lights gave it a feel of an old diner. Service was a bit slow and lacking...it would have been quicker if we went to the counter to order, but they do have a wait staff there to take your order and that is basically it.

 

 

The on-deck barbeques were fun with good food, especially the chicken. BIMINI BAR & GRILL also had quick bites to eat...we didn't try anything, but just noticed as we passed through. We didn't see the occassional lunch and/or dinner offerings in PEARLY KINGS PUB when we walked through...guess it just wasn't meal time. It was always too smokey in there for me to want to venture back for a "meal".

 

The CHOCOHOLIC BUFFET held in the VENETIAN was the best chocolate buffet I've been to on a ship. The chocolate artwork was creative and clever...hard to believe some of the offerings were made of chocolate! This is definitely something you don't want to miss!

 

Last but not least is ROOM SERVICE available 24 hours a day. Breakfast menus need to be out on your cabin door by 4:00 am (if I remember correctly). The breakfast menu is spartan but suitable if you don't like a heavy breakfast...it is more like a continental breakfast offering. We ordered Breakfast Room Service once. They very graciously call you before they bring the meal...which was a nice thing to do in case you weren't awake at the time you scheduled breakfast to be delivered. There's nothing better than eating breakfast on your balcony! We didn't try Room Service for any other time of the day, although the menu that was printed in the welcome book in our cabin looked more than adequate.

 

The only other food I can think of that might have been available was on the lifeboats...and we didn't sample that!

 

Debjo

 

  Until the NORWEGIAN DAWN 2004 (Can't Hardly Wait But Still Wishing I Was Going On The NORWAY Instead!)

 

 NORWEGIAN MAJESTY 2004 Bermuda Bound Again!

 

QE2-Bermuda 2003

PACIFIC PRINCESS-Bermuda 2002

REGAL EMPRESS-New England/Canada 2001

 

[awatt]

We liked impressions the best. Great service and table by the window,beautiful art and a little quieter than the Venetian.

[jp2001]

I chose Bamboo but THERE IS a cover charge 10$ per person (5$ on certain dates and time). My favorite free restaurant was Salsa.

 

NCL Dawn, December 2003