Thinking about the Dawn in Feb. 05 - let me know of your ideas

[CruiseVirginfromBrooklyn]

We're thinking about taking the Dawn in February (on one of the extended Caribbean sailings vs. the 7 day Florida/Bahamas sailings.) I love the idea of not having to try to fly out of nyc during the winter... Of those of you who have actually sailed during the winter months, here are my questions:

1.) We've been to Bermuda a few times, we know things can get rough...the question is, how rough did you find it in the winter? Worst we hit were 15 foot swells on one trip to Bermuda.

2.) When did you feel like you could go outside and enjoy it? We figure sail away night, who cares, you're just glad to be on-board, getting a dinner, and catching a show or playing in the casino. However, my question is...the next day, when (if even then) did you feel it was warm enough to start enjoying the outside parts of the ship. We're estimating that by the time we wake up and have breakfast we'll probably off the North Carlonia coast or who knows maybe even a litte further south and hopefully the outside temperatures will be tolerable at that point. Is that a good guess? If not, tell us what to expect.

3.) Which restaurants are best onboard? We don't mind paying the surcharges, just looking for the best meals!

4.) Any points, comments (good and bad) or suggestions you'd care to offer are more than welcome.

Thanks!

Vinnie from NY

Grand Princess - December, 2001

Carnival Destiny - February, 2002

Crystal Harmony - July, 2002

Carnival Triumph - September, 2002

Dawn Princess - December, 2002

Grand Princess - March, 2003

Celebrity Zenith - July, 2003

Crystal Symphony - December, 2003

Celebrity Constellation - February, 2004

Celebrity Zenith - July, 2004

And always open for suggestions and recommendations!!

[allshookup]

We sailed the 7 day this past Feb. and unfortunately it was cloudy & cool the entire trip. It was very windy & cold outside while sailing and even docked in Nassau I had a towel wrapped around me while lying by the kid's pool. We did have a warm day at the private island but again it was very cloudy and grey. I spoke to a friend that sailed on the Disney Magic to the West. Car. & they had the same lousy weather. I know it can also be nice in the Car. during Feb. but for the money spent I will wait till the warmer months to sail from now on.

As far as restaurants...we only ate in the non-surcharge ones. Our favorites were the Venetian & Salsa's.

All in all we loved the Dawn & are sailing her again next April. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Oh I forgot to add...the sailing was not as rough as I expected. We rocked quite a bit but it was actually more choppy down by the Bahamas than it was in the Northern Atlantic.

[johnql]

I sailed the Dawn this past February. Let me see if I can help you with your questions.

1) The seas were moderately rough and toward the end of the cruise we had to change our course in order to avoid a bad storm. This ended up delaying our return to NYC. The ship handled the rough seas very well, altho I did hear that a few pax did get seasick.

2) You're basically right about the weather. By Monday afternoon, quite a few pax were out on deck, parked in their chaises longues. It wasn't what I would call ideal sunbathing weather (probably around 65-70 with a nippy breeze) but it was a vast improvement over Feb temps in NYC. At the end of the cruise, Sat afternoon was really too cold for any reasonable sunbathing, but that didn't stop quite a few people from bundling up and catching a few rays.

3) I loved Cagney's (excellent steak) and Teppanyaki (Benihana-like part of Bamboo). But I also enjoyed the main dining rooms.

All in all, it was a great cruise, one that I would repeat without hesitation. And it's a huge convenience living in NYC.

[SRUTKO1226]

Hi,

I sailed last Feb for a ten day and enjoyed it so much I am booked for next Feb.

The Dawn handled high seas very well and there was little listing by the passengers. The five islands we visited were a welcomed sight after a long winter. I too have visited Bermuda and loved it. It was a bumpy ride. I think it's par for the course there by all accounts.

I packed way too many cold weather clothes. The first day and the last day were winter ..2 days of lovely spring and 6 days of bathing suit weather.

I enjoyed La Bistro. The regular dining rooms are very nice too. We ate at the buffet only for some lunches. We ordered room service for breakfast.

The Adventure continues.
Same time next year!!!
Dawn Feb 10, 2005

[img]http://www.options.bc.ca/images/adventurers.gif[/img]