Another review from 5/1 Dawn - and pics

[JillLynn]

I will start out by saying this was our first cruise. So when we were dropped off at the pier and got my first look at this ship, I was in awe. The size of her is incredible and quite a looker too ! We were in the terminal for about 2 hours before we were on board. NCL had sandwiches and cake and beverages for us while we waited.

 

 

So when we got to our rooms, the golf clubs were there, but no other luggage. We only had time to get our life jackets for the muster drill and we were off to the Stardust theater. We weren’t there too long. Afterwards we headed to the pool area for our departure. There was a barbeque already going on and drinks were plenty. NOTE: very windy, hold on to your drink, I wore a couple! The first crew member we saw was Colin ! He had mentioned that he just got back from vacation, I told him I knew because of the Cruise Critics! He mentioned he never reads the forum because he was afraid to read bad things about himself, I assured him only good things were said about him, we laughed and he took a picture of the 4 of us and gave us his card. He is quite a character, what a great laugh.

 

The first night we ate at Cagney’s. Had no problem getting all the reservations I wanted from our room phone. Dinner was great and I got to wear some melted butter all over my arm. Better than on my clothes.

 

Second night was formal night, had to wait in line for pictures. Went to go to the Venetian and there was a line, a big one, so we headed to Salsa where we were able to get a lobster dinner plus the great Salsa appetizers (mozzarella sticks, poppers, blooming onion!) YUM. Hubby ended up spilling his entire Corona on my lap! UGH.

 

 

Next day was Port Canaveral, did the alligator airboat ride. What a thrill, plenty of alligators, it was mating season! And even saw a bald eagle on the power lines. Remember to tip your tour guide! Ate some alligator tail, it was very good and yes, it taste like chicken! Back to the ship by 1pm and rested all day. If you want to get away from the crowds and enjoy sitting in the hot tub, go to deck 13 forward, what a great view. Ate at Impressions, excellent service there and food was good too. As we left PC it started raining and thundering and lightening, but it didn’t really affect the seas (my opinion). Went to play Bingo was shocked to find out I paid $39 for ONE game. I should have looked into that a little better, needless to say, I didn’t win.

 

Next day Miami, sunny and hot. Boys golfed and the girls took the Ocean Drive on the rocks tour. We had a great tour guide named Edwin, he looks like Billy Idol, he was full of information and had some great stories. All but one bar we went to served shot size drinks. They encouraged us to buy more at every bar, I wasn’t really crazy about that. Spent about 50 minutes at each place, the Frozen drinks at Fat Tuesdays was the best and we met some really nice people. Ate at Teppanyaki grill, DHs favorite! Good show too.

 

I don’t remember what night we saw the Liars Club, but it was terrible in my opinion. We walked out after the second word. (They get a crazy word and each person makes up a definition and you have to figure out which is telling the truth) . The Newlywed not so Newlywed game, now that was entertaining! Bollywood was pretty good too, loved the ballet and the guy that swings over the audience, but the Indian music I could do without.

 

Private Island. We were lucky and got tickets for the first tender. Had an early riser in the group and he waited in line about 7 am, had tickets 50 and 51. Rode over with GREENIE and JOE. Island was smaller than I expected and very crowded. We however got good spots on the beach. The barbeque there was really good and the lines moved fast. We had to have someone stay behind at all times to ‘watch our stuff’. As more people came, they helped themselves to your chairs, mats, and even towels. Market was small but cute. Didn’t have too many things I was interested in buying. Snokeling was fun, not too many fish but enough to make me happy. We did see the stingray, he was small but liked to hang out with the swimmers. Back to the ship by 2pm to shower off they sand and soak in the hot tub. Dinner at Salsa on Cinco de Mayo. Always live music from the deck below, which was nice. Food was good. Had the shrimp fajitas but you need to ask for extra sour cream, and guacamole because the dish is about the size of a half dollar. Service this time was terrible , but we had a great corner seat with a view of the ocean and then as we entered the Bahamas.

 

 

Bahamas, It was raining when we got there. Stopped around 10pm and we headed off to Atlantis. $4 cab ride per person. And just a note….they drive on the wrong side of the street! Checked out the fish and then gambled and back to the ship. Got up early and did the straw market. Very small isles and very hot, but they are willing to sell you anything and will bargain with you. I got a nice $15 necklace for $10. :) Wish I got a couple more. Got my duty free liquor and some tee shirts and back by 1130.

 

 

Friday we ate at LeBistro for our anniversary dinner. Food was great and so was the service. I tried the escargot and loved it, tasted like steamed clams kinda. Gets a little annoying hearing them sing to everyone celebrating, but when it was our turn, it was fun. Fondue was to die for, very rich. Seas started to get rough.

 

Saturday, beautiful day except for the high seas. Can hear the ship creaking especially in our forward room, deck 8 balcony doors. Personnally I loved the motion of the ocean, but DH and GF were sick as were other people and some crew. Gambled most of the day and had dinner again at the Teppanyaki grill (ginger ya know). Got in NY about 4pm, didn’t get off until 6:30 was home by 8:30. Only annoying thing about this was the constant paging for people that were supposed to get off. Had to call for this one woman about 8 times! I was ready to go find her and escort her myself. :confused:

 

Overall, great first cruise and would do it again in a second. Great tips and advice from Cruise Critic forums, thanks for everything. Here is the link to my pictures, hope you enjoy!

 

 

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/controlPanel.fcgi

One thing I should add....Cabin walls are very thin, we could hear everything!:o

[2Cruise4Ever]

JillLynn ~ Great Review!! But, I was only able to view one picture on your webshots page. Do you have more? :)

[Kladam]

What a nice review. thanks for the real info. Question. What tifme did you get to the pier to embark? Sounds like with the 2 hour wait you were rushed

once you got on to go to the muster drill.

 

Sounds like you had a nice time. I'm waiting patiently for 6/12.

[niya305]

Great review, but the link doesn't take me to any pics?

[JillLynn]

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

 

If this doesn't work, maybe someone can help me out. New to Webshots, thanks.

[greenie]

I will start out by saying this was our first cruise. So when we were dropped off at the pier and got my first look at this ship, I was in awe. The size of her is incredible and quite a looker too ! We were in the terminal for about 2 hours before we were on board. NCL had sandwiches and cake and beverages for us while we waited....

 

JillLynn--great review! I'd forgotten all about that delicious onion thing at Salsa's. We loved it. I liked it also because ot was a normal-sized onion, not a basket-ball-sized one like we've had elsewhere. (Exaggerating, but you know what I mean!)

 

The rocking of the ship did sometimes make me queasy, but never sick and never really minded. I liked the creaking sound--made me feel like I was really on a ship, not a floating hotel.

 

That last woman they kept calling in order to begin disembarkation---that was SO annoying. Not on NCL's part, on that woman's part! Where the heck WAS she?? They must have called her name for 15 minutes. Can you imagine having your name--and only YOUR name--called and have it announced that no one can disembark until you get to your assigned place?! Oye!

 

I'm going to go look at your pics now--excited!

[niya305]

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

 

If this doesn't work, maybe someone can help me out. New to Webshots, thanks.

 

Perfect:D

[JillLynn]

What a nice review. thanks for the real info. Question. What tifme did you get to the pier to embark? Sounds like with the 2 hour wait you were rushed

once you got on to go to the muster drill.

 

Sounds like you had a nice time. I'm waiting patiently for 6/12.

 

We arrived at the pier at 1pm. We weren't really rushed to the muster drill, we just wanted to be on time.

[Kladam]

JillLynn

 

Thanks for the info. I'm planning to get to the pier around 1:30, hoping that the lines will be down by then.

 

First time out on the Dawn in 2003, NCL called to say that the ship would not be until 3PM and that we should start arriving at the pier by 5:00PM. Well, we got there at 5 and so did the ship. We waited for 4 hours before getting on to the ship. The lines were unbearable and so were some of the people.

 

The good thing was that they announced once on the ship that there would be free drinks for the entire evening. That was nice but.......

 

I just don't want to wait. Any suggestions

[JillLynn]

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions for you, but I heard many people complaining too. I kept thinking.....We are going on vacation, I would wait a day to get back onboard. It was worth the wait for me!

[Kladam]

Your right, it is vacation after all. I'll take some deep breathes.

 

PS. the photos are great.

[KarlaC]

Jill:

I too was thinking about doing the alligator airboat ride in PC. I am assuming you brought your digital camera on this excursion. How did that work out? I am hesitant to bring mine because of the water factor. :confused:

[Suesan Jean]

:) GREAT REVIEW!!! Thank you for sharing your pictures!! Nice to see Klaus in them!!! I will miss him when we are back on the Dawn in February, I wonder who his replacement will be?? The Jewel will be getting a wonderfull crew member!!...

 

You and Greenie have written such "delicious" things about "Salsa" that I WILL have to go on my next cruise!!!! You are making me HUNGRY!!!:D

 

Suesan

[JillLynn]

Jill:

 

I too was thinking about doing the alligator airboat ride in PC. I am assuming you brought your digital camera on this excursion. How did that work out? I am hesitant to bring mine because of the water factor. :confused:

 

I sat in the 3rd row middle seat. You do not get wet at all. Our driver even let us stand up to get good pics, digital camera will be fine, just don't drop it overboard, hehe.:p

 

My only regrets about this cruise was that I did not spend much time at our cruise critic M&G. I would have liked to get to know everyone better, since we had some nice chats online. I have to admit tho that me and my friends were dieing to get out and see the ship. Forgive me Greenie for not making it to your gathering and to the others I didn't get to know:( .

[dishealth11]

That was great! Thank you. I enjoyed the pics too.

 

 

. Is shot #50 GSC? I knew it was a tight squeeze, but the chairs are nearly touching each other:eek:

[JillLynn]

That was great! Thank you. I enjoyed the pics too.

 

 

. Is shot #50 GSC? I knew it was a tight squeeze, but the chairs are nearly touching each other:eek:

 

Yes it is. Get there early.

[neverthought]

JillLynn, great pics, sounds like you enjoyed your cruise. We are going on our first next sunday, can't wait. Thanks for the review and pictures.

[JillLynn]

Forgot to say at the presidents dinner, I had I believe the Ronald Regan dessert, which was some sort of meringue (spelling) thing, it was absolutely fabulous, I highly recommend this dessert to the next cruisers.

 

I would also recommend if you have the time, to skip the buffet and faster service places and have your breakfast and lunch in the dining room. I enjoy the relaxed atmospere and of course being served. The menu choices were limited but very tastey.

 

We had pretty good food at the Blue Lagoon but service lacked here in my opinion. Servers just standing around and then would come ask if our order was taken and when we said no, they just left. We did eat here several times though and enjoyed the potato skins, wings, and a noodle dish. Had to help ourselves to the drinks, which I didn't mind. DH liked the fish and chips alot.

[judyf]

Jilllynn I enjoyed your reading your review.

 

That's cool how you met Colin. I had to laugh at how you dropped stuff, drinks, butter husband spilling his beer. I do stuff like that all the time, my bf tells me all the time I can't wear white cause I wear everything I touch.

 

I got hungry reading about Salsas, I'm going to love this place and also the Teppanyaki grill. Can you explain exactly what this is to make sure I got it right? I'm thinking it's like the one I went to in Okinawa they sort of stir fry chichen with veggies and ginger and they do this right in front of you and does it come with rice? Do I have it right?

 

On the airboat ride how many was on a boat? Which side of the boat would be better for pictures and taking video?

 

Now I'm going to check out your pictures,

 

Thanks so much for posting!!!

 

Sounds like a great first cruise,

 

I loved your pictures, The airboat ride looks like a lot of fun!!

 

What was the big green drink you had in your hand in one of the pictures. It looked good!!

[JillLynn]

Jilllynn I enjoyed your reading your review.

 

That's cool how you met Colin. I had to laugh at how you dropped stuff, drinks, butter husband spilling his beer. I do stuff like that all the time, my bf tells me all the time I can't wear white cause I wear everything I touch.

 

I got hungry reading about Salsas, I'm going to love this place and also the Teppanyaki grill. Can you explain exactly what this is to make sure I got it right? I'm thinking it's like the one I went to in Okinawa they sort of stir fry chichen with veggies and ginger and they do this right in front of you and does it come with rice? Do I have it right?

 

On the airboat ride how many was on a boat? Which side of the boat would be better for pictures and taking video?

 

Now I'm going to check out your pictures,

 

Thanks so much for posting!!!

 

Sounds like a great first cruise,

 

I loved your pictures, The airboat ride looks like a lot of fun!!

 

What was the big green drink you had in your hand in one of the pictures. It looked good!!

 

Teppanyaki grill is exactly what you think it is. Salad, soup, Fried Rice, onions and zucchini, meat, and then veggies, with lots of garlic on everything:D .

 

I believe about 16 people per airboat. Get in the front if you can, but not in the back. He will stop the boat for you to take pictures and will let you stand too, so most places work for photo ops.

 

The big drink was called a 'green iguana' tasted like a lime margarita.

[judyf]

Teppanyaki grill is exactly what you think it is. Salad, soup, Fried Rice, onions and zucchini, meat, and then veggies, with lots of garlic on everything:D .

 

I believe about 16 people per airboat. Get in the front if you can, but not in the back. He will stop the boat for you to take pictures and will let you stand too, so most places work for photo ops.

 

The big drink was called a 'green iguana' tasted like a lime margarita.

 

Thanks, I will have one of those green iguana did you get that on the ship?

 

All that garlic and veggies I'm there. Another question on the Teppanyaki gril, do make ressie for that seperate form Bambo? I think that's the name. Sorry if I'm wrong.

 

Am I reading this right you're saying the front of the boat is better then the back?

 

Thanks for all the tips!!!

[JillLynn]

Thanks, I will have one of those green iguana did you get that on the ship?

 

All that garlic and veggies I'm there. Another question on the Teppanyaki gril, do make ressie for that seperate form Bambo? I think that's the name. Sorry if I'm wrong.

 

Am I reading this right you're saying the front of the boat is better then the back?

 

Thanks for all the tips!!!

 

The green iguana was a drink we got on the ship as we were leaving PC.

 

We never made reservations for the Teppanyaki grill (believe it or not) We just showed up and they were able to take us. But I believe you have to make the reservation thru Bamboo.

 

The front of the boat in my opinion would be better for pictures.

 

Have a great time!

[judyf]

Thanks!

[JillLynn]

You're welcome. Any other questions? I would be glad to answer them!:)

[Robbo66]

Thanks for the photos. It was a nice reminder of our recent cruise. Glad you enjoyed it!