Complete 5/01 NCL Dawn Review(First time on NCL)

[judyf]

the omelete station and waffle station open only twice during the week. No big deal, but if I remember correctly, you could always get an omelete on RCCL. Like I said, I had a great time, but I think my next cruise will be back with RCCL.

 

What the omelete & waffle station is open everyday??? I thought I read it was, did I miss something?

[shoreguy]

What the omelete & waffle station is open everyday??? I thought I read it was, did I miss something?

 

Judy you did not miss anything. I have been on the Dawn 4 times and both the omlete and waffle stations were open every single day.

[greenie]

What the omelete & waffle station is open everyday??? I thought I read it was, did I miss something?

 

They were open every morning I went to the buffet (3-4 times) for breakfast! Joe liked the omelet he ordered alot. I didn't really love the waffles but only because I like them crispy on the outside and the guy cooked them soft, like pancakes. I probably could have requested them cooked harder--just never had a hankering for 'em again.

[Jett456]

They were crispy when I had them. The preparer was a woman and she made them very good. I almost bought a waffle iron when I got home but then thought I'd rather just go on another cruise. The waffle and omelet station were open every day on our cruise.

[NJcruiser21]

mmmm waffles every day!

[judyf]

That's what I thought! Thanks for getting it straight.

[shoreguy]

They were open every morning I went to the buffet (3-4 times) for breakfast! Joe liked the omelet he ordered alot. I didn't really love the waffles but only because I like them crispy on the outside and the guy cooked them soft, like pancakes. I probably could have requested them cooked harder--just never had a hankering for 'em again.

 

 

:D I had to stand over the guy and say not yet. He thought I was crazy. It killed him to cook them until they were crisp enough for me.

[NJcruiser21]

:D I had to stand over the guy and say not yet. He thought I was crazy. It killed him to cook them until they were crisp enough for me.

 

I like my crispy too! I'll tell the guy shoreguy told me it was okay.

[judyf]

Another crispy here, I'll take two, shoreguy said it was okay!

[nycglitter]

I don't know...there is something to be said for the gumable waffle. It has it's place. I for one won't be a waffle elitist...got to stand up for the soggy waffles!

 

(Am I tired or what?):p

[NJcruiser21]

marit,

 

 

that's as funny as when you asked if anyone bought the microphone stand from american idol a drink..LOL!

[nycglitter]

Waffle's have feelings too!

[debjo]

I agree with dragonlips about the DAWN's gift shop offerings & pricing...although the offerings have greatly improved over what we found on our 2004 DAWN cruise. One thing that really irked me in the gift shop was the "repricing" of some items. There was one boxed souvenir item that I "almost" bought, until I saw the price tag...it was priced at $12.00...my irritation was in the fact that they had crossed off the ORIGINAL $8.00 price with a single pen stroke and then wrote in $12.00. Price gouging at it's finest...if they had printed a new price tag and placed it over the old one, I probably never would have known that they INCREASED the price! But, to simply draw a line through the $8.00 price and write in $12.00 is really ridiculous! That tactic should only be used when REDUCING the price. Who in their right mind is going to pay $4.00 MORE for an item. At the very least they should have taken a black magic marker and covered up the original price. Sorry to rant and rave, but I guess dragonlips helped me remember a little peeve that I had on our otherwise wonderful cruise.

 

Debjo

[capt.tom]

We were on the same cruise in 10182..Great Cabin position (aft starboard) in a pretty stubborn sea as everything was coming over the port bow..The skipper kept us "into the waves" (which was good) but I thought he could have been more reassuring to the passengers as the ship was making "overhead noises" as she was "flexing" as she was designed..

We also felt that the cruise director & staff were sort of bland & "milqetoast" (NYC type audience remember?) but we were not there for that anyway..I thought the Casino staff were not well coached or very professional..When you did win they gave you a dirty look, etc.

We were told to stay away from the specialty restaurants but we did dine at the Japanese hibachi style which was delightful..The Main restaurants were consistently good to very good..The Garden Cafe buffet was "hit or miss" with a lot of items picked over depending on when you arrived..Twice I sat on a wet seat which I hope was from a wet bathing suit..The salad dressing bowls were always a disaster unless you went to the veggie..

The "chocolholic buffet" was a study in glutteny..We saw a young lady with two armsfull with what we guessed might have been 3 dozen items..She cut quite a swath as she gathered her bounty (2000 carbs?)..

This is a great ship & we would return if they improved the ON/OFF process which is a disaster (they do this every week?)..NCL needs to bring on a big time NYC crowd control specialist to manage this as NCL is NOT managing it well at all..

Tom & Nancy

[Cosmopolitan]

Being from the Metropolitan area, I know that we tend to expect "perfection" in the shows. We must keep in mind that a cruise show is not a NY theatre performance. These performers are working on a cruise ship...not in NY. Keep in mind the prices we pay for a NY theatre.

 

The gift shop....most of the clothing is daywear which is Tommy Bahama - the prices are the same as we pay in the stores for "TB". If you are looking for a bargain, you must get off at the ports and barter for a good price.

I don't like to shop. If I don't like the price, I simply don't buy it.

I did notice, however, that no one complained about the cost of liquor or cigarettes.

 

If I didn't like "picked over" items or wet seats, I would go to a restaurant. I, personally, do not go to the garden buffet. I'm on vacation and sieze the opportunity to get waited on whenever I can.

 

I don't know why anyone would stay away from specialty restaurants? They are even half-price the first two nights. But, you do not need a speciality restaurant for a nice meal, there are plenty of restaurants on the Dawn where you do not pay a fee. Venetian, Impressions, Aqua.

Why not go to these?

 

Crowd control...I'm lost there. What crowd on 5/1??? The Dawn was the only ship in NY that day. I was there.

 

Gluttony at the chocoholic buffet??? Who cares???

Just relax and enjoy yourself with a glass of champagne along with your chocolates.

I really could care less what the person next to me is eating!

[Tomct]

. . . . . We were told to stay away from the specialty restaurants but we did dine at the Japanese hibachi style which was delightful..The Main restaurants were consistently good to very good..The Garden Cafe buffet was "hit or miss" with a lot of items picked over depending on when you arrived..Twice I sat on a wet seat which I hope was from a wet bathing suit..The salad dressing bowls were always a disaster unless you went to the veggie..

The "chocolholic buffet" was a study in glutteny..We saw a young lady with two armsfull with what we guessed might have been 3 dozen items..She cut quite a swath as she gathered her bounty (2000 carbs?)..

This is a great ship & we would return if they improved the ON/OFF process which is a disaster (they do this every week?)..NCL needs to bring on a big time NYC crowd control specialist to manage this as NCL is NOT managing it well at all..

Tom & Nancy

 

Stay away from the specialty restaurants? Poor advice!!! We tend to eat there more than anywhere esle. Great food, terrific atmosphere, and the best waitstaff onboard.

 

Chocolate buffet glutteny? I didn't know we were being judged, but to each his own. Since it is held on the Dawn in mid afternoon, I personally prefer to eat light, and save room for dinner, as Mom used to say. But I certainly don't care what anyone else is doing.

 

We haven't had any significant problems with the on/off procedures, considering over 2,000 people are involved, and everyone wants seems to want to get off at the same time. My biggest gripe is with the non-citizen who fail to show up for their early call. I wish they would get hard with them, and make it clear upfront what they are required to do prior to disembarkation. Of course I don't know what they actually do, maybe they are hard on them - I sure hope so, as they are very inconsiderate, and you really can't let people leave until they are all accounted for.

 

Also, on our cruise in December, my wife was a few weeks away from bi-lateral knee replacement surgery, and struggled walking and standing. She was directed to the handicapped waiting area where she could sit, while we I was able to stand nearby. She never complained about the process or accomopdations getting on and off.

[vacationgogo]

Debjo, I was sorry I missed meeting you on the cruise. I got involved with my daughter and we ended up back in the cabin and I lost track of time! Glad you had a wonderful time.

 

 

A friend I traveled with was very annoyed at the "nickel and diming" that went on on this cruise. It culminated for her on the last morning (her account had already been closed) and she wanted bottled water in the Venetian with her breakfast. She said she would pay cash for it. The waitress actually told her she had to go check on this and then came back and said that she had to pay up front for the water. She did but she was left feeling that she just spent thousands on this cruise and they couldn't trust her to pay for her water at the end of the meal. I know this was a small thing but she felt they nickeled and dimed the whole cruise and this just capped it off. I have to say, I try to stay positive and overlook what I can, but I can't deny what has been said here about NCL taking advantage of their customers. I think NCL needs to do some work in this area so that their customers don't walk away feeling that way.

 

I enjoyed the entertainment. I wouldn't say it was top notch but I certainly found it enjoyable. My 15 year old daughter and her 3 friends (all of them are dancers), loved the ballet in Bollywood. In fact, they stuck around after the show to take pictures with the dancers! Variety is the spice of life.

 

We missed Cagneys but we did eat at Le Bistro and our girls ate at Bamboo. They couldn't do enough for us at Le Bistro. We thought the food was excellent and the whole experience was wonderful, including the "Voila" when serving us. The girls said Bamboo was very good also. I understand what people are saying here about felling that they shouldn't have to pay more for these restaurants, but if they were free, I think it would be very difficult to get into them. Most people would want to eat there and few would be left in the regular restauants.

 

Shoreguy, I got an awful lot of information here. I thank all those who contributed. I did write a lengthy review when I returned, but did not get many responses. It's probably because I do tend to get long-winded, as you can see, but I tried.

 

And finally, the wrist bands (called sea bands) are elastic. They fit children and adults.