LAFFNVEGAS Live from the Dawn/1st Caribbean of the Season

[Two@Sea]

WooHoo! Another "Live" report from our Lisa! Anxious to follow along, and pretend I am there too! :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi Everyone we are on board and have just ordered lunch in Cagneys. It is so great to be back on board NCL. I so love all the smiling crew. The other thing we suddenly remembered was how darn good the breads are here. I ordered the Scallops and Shrimp and Tom ordered the steak . Well wine and shrimp cocktail has arrived so got to go :d

[ariawoman]

Glad you are having a good time and looking forward to reading my first "live from" thread for an NCL ship. Sshhh don't tell X or HAL hehehe.

[Chesneygirl]

I am looking forward to your "Live" reports!!

Thanks so much - I hope you have a wonderful time!!

[ourfamilylovescruising]

how exciting I feel like I am on the Dawn for 2 weeks because we get on next sunday yeahhhhhh!!!!!:D

[PathfinderEss]

Hi Everyone we are on board and have just ordered lunch in Cagneys. It is so great to be back on board NCL. I so love all the smiling crew. The other thing we suddenly remembered was how darn good the breads are here. I ordered the Scallops and Shrimp and Tom ordered the steak . Well wine and shrimp cocktail has arrived so got to go :d[ATTACH]251489[/ATTACH]

Now your making me hungry, not fair Lisa. :D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

While I am not in roaming I will post some more pictures from earlier. The Rci ship is our aft view for right now.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

And some pics

[momoftwinteens]

Keep the pictures coming. I sail on the Dawn next fall and your pictures and reviews are getting me so excited!

[CRUISIN' TOGETHER]

Loving the pics and updates!! We sail on Dawn in two weeks from today:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Muster Drill is over...... Let the cruise begin :)

I love the ease of the Life Boat Drill on NCL. I like the fact we can actually sit down rather than the standing outside like on HAL.

I know I have been posting a lot today and that will slow down when I am paying the Internet minutes ;)

I will do one more report tonite when we retire and do a recap.

 

Signing off from the Free Styling Norwegian Dawn.

[bob brown]

I hope you enjoy your cruise as well as I enjoyed our Colonial voyage!

We left you a happy crew, and a shipshape ship (try saying that fast):D

 

Be sure not to miss Jose and Patti!:)

[HokiePoq]

Muster Drill is over...... Let the cruise begin :)

I love the ease of the Life Boat Drill on NCL. I like the fact we can actually sit down rather than the standing outside like on HAL.

I know I have been posting a lot today and that will slow down when I am paying the Internet minutes ;)

I will do one more report tonite when we retire and do a recap.

 

Signing off from the Free Styling Norwegian Dawn.

 

You're right. It is a lot easier on NCL. I do like on HAL that you actually know where your lifeboat is and can be there to get yourself on rather than depending on crew to get that far. Didn't think anything about that until Concordia.

[solle1]

Muster Drill is over...... Let the cruise begin :)

I love the ease of the Life Boat Drill on NCL. I like the fact we can actually sit down rather than the standing outside like on HAL.

I know I have been posting a lot today and that will slow down when I am paying the Internet minutes ;)

I will do one more report tonite when we retire and do a recap.

 

Signing off from the Free Styling Norwegian Dawn.

 

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8177153407_05ccbbcb11_m.jpg

 

The Dawn under the Skway !

[LAFFNVEGAS]

(Sorry could not get on the internet last night)

 

Good Evening from the Beautiful Norwegian Dawn.

 

What a great first day for our third cruise with Norwegian. I know I have been filling you in along the way but will give you a brief run down from when we left Tampa. NCL Suite Life definitely knows how to pamper you.

 

Sail away was a quiet one just Colleen came to our cabin because Bob and Kathy were unpacking. We had the chance to unpack earlier. My luggage came first and I was unpacked before Life Boat Drill and when we got back Tom's had arrived and he unpacked.

 

As many of you know our Concierge is Virginia and our Butler is Gary who is great as well as Virginia. We dined tonight in the Venetian because it was Lobster Night. I did have the Lobster with Red Snapper which was actually very good. I also had the Mushroom Soup and of course the Key Lime Pie which was excellent. Tom had the Braised Loin of Beef and also had our server bring him a Lobster Tail but he had the Cheesecake.

 

After dinner we hit the shops, with being a Latitudes Member we had the extra 10% off so Tom and I both bought NCL Golf Shirts, I was surprised they actually had Ladies and one that should fit. Tom's says NCL Dawn mine is just Cruising the Caribbean then the NCL Logo After spending time and checking out everything possible in the shops we went to the show at 9pm. Tonight show was a little bit of everything from the NCL Dawn Production Cast, to Jose and Patti who perform daily in the Atrium to Charles Peachock who is a Comedian and Juggler that was a finalist on America's Got Talent in 2010. Our CD is Candy and the Assistant CD is Johnny ( message to Joleen at work No I have not talked to him yet but I will) The show was good and in the beginning they showed this little NCL film of Crew Members but in the start of the film it is the NCL Commercial and of course I know that well with the Let Go.... :-) I hear it often on any given work day. After the show we all decided we were all a bit exhausted and decided to call it a night. I always like to come back to the room and write my report then do some reading. Both Tom and I love to read and enjoy our nooks.

 

Now I must state a few differences from for those frequent Holland America Cruisers that Tom and I noticed as well as Kathy and Bob. First in the Dining Room, there were far more servers than HAL has. It was shocking how many were there, the other thing in the main dining room it is not nearly as crowded as HAL lots of room between tables and chairs with plenty of walking room between. The other thing was the NCL Production cast. Oh My... HAL has brought it down to just 4 dancers and singers and NCL had 14 on stage and tonight might not have been all of them. Of course there are so many that work under the Cruise Director. There are just so many more crew on board compared to HAL.

 

This afternoon Gary our Butler brought us Chocolate Covered Strawberries and we told him we loved those, so what was in our cabin this evening when we returned a plate of Chocolate Covered Strawberries then there was a bottle of Prosecco not sure who that came from. Now the only thing that might be missing and the only reason I say might is I am guessing they are still provided is the Robes. I remember they were in the closet on the Pearl and we do not have any but if I remember right they were very heavy and warm robes so maybe too warm for the Caribbean.

 

I do love this aft cabin location, it is so nice out there, then there is the gentle sway of an aft cabin, it will be great fo sleeping tonight. I think I have told you everything for the first day/night. We were Invited to go to the VIP Party tomorrow night but it is between 7 and 7:45 but we have dinner reservations in Le Bistro at 6:30, sadly I know there is no way we will be done in time to go to that. There is also the Latitudes Party at 1:00pm tomorrow. Otherwise tomorrow will be a lazy day, get up when our bodies say it is time, if we are early enough go up to Cagney's for Breakfast, then relax on the balcony reading, then head up to the Latitudes Party, then back to the cabin, who knows might even get in a nap before dinner.

 

Signing off from the Beautiful Freestylin Norwegian Dawn.

________________________________________________________

 

Good Morning, Nothing like reading back report backwards, Last night I was not able to access the Internet so gave up and figured I would try it today. Oddly in the Free Style Daily if I bought the Internet package today I received extra minutes but not if I bought it yesterday.

 

We slept like babies being rocked to sleep last.

 

Just a few of my comments I am going to make are steered toward my Holland America Friends that are reading this that I am doing comparisons. Although right now the positives are mostly in favor of NCL.

 

One thing HAL and NCL have in common is using Elemis Bath products. HAL was smart when they placed the dispensers in the shower/bathtubs because they had both the Shower Gel, Shampoo and conditioner. NCL unfortunately only had the shampoo and shower gel. That is a positive for HAL, now one thing I have noticed since our last NCL cruise is a few of the bath products have changed. I use to absolutely love the hand soap that was kind of a blue green that had this amazing aroma to it. I was so disappointed when I found they did not have that. Now don't get me wrong the new creamy is nice with just a light scent but i miss the other. Also another difference is when we were last here the dispensers for the showers contained the Elemis Sharp Shower Gel. Now there is a small bottle of it in our bathroom maybe because we are in a Suite but not in the shower dispenser. Actually the Shower dispenser appears to be the same as in the hand soap dispenser at the sink. No complaints still far far better than anything that Princess and RCI supplies an actually better than HAL have the sink soap dispenser. These are simply all observations of differences from HAL and from 2 years ago.

 

Now this is a corny observation but I love those fish on the carpet on the Pearl :) I always knew if I was heading in the right direction ;)

 

This morning we slept in till about 10 after 9. Unfortunately just not enough time to be at Cagney's for breakfast by 9:30. As simply a suggestion 10 orn10:30 would be a much better time for Sea Days. But we did go to Blue Lagoon which is open for breakfast till 11. Now Blue Lagoon is something that beats all other cruise lines and makes NCL shine. While the breakfast menu is small, it is great. They bring around rolls danishes and croissants. And oh my they are so far above HAL's. Everyone always raves on the HAL board about the Chocolate Croissants on HAL, I have tried then at least 4 or 5 times and there was barely ever much chocolate and they were just OK, now NCL knows what a true Chocolate Croissant is. Not there is some real chocolate in theirs. I have not been to the Garden Cafe yet (Lido equal) so cannot truly compare but i do think HAL has far better selection when it comes to juices but in all honesty I think NCL Coffee is much better. Right now I am enjoying an espresso in our cabin as I write this. it has such a smooth flavor. I could be on a caffeine high all week.

 

We had shopped last night, but after I got back to the cabin and already for bed I thought I should have gone down and purchased the Lancome Mascara. Although I have to admit while the selection is far better than any HAL ship I have been on in and just this past May on the Zuiderdam HAL selections fro Frangrances and cosmetics have fallen badly. NCL still has a really good selection, as a matter of fact I would say excellent but sadly the prices are high. Actually the single tube of Lancome Mascara is identical to what I would pay at Macys. Granted no tax but still not a bargain, that is why I could kick myself for not having gone back down to purchase. When HAL did sell these items and they still do but very limited supply it would be about 15%to 20% off regular retail. The best prices I have seen has been in either St Maarten or Bonaire, with Bonaire being the lowest. So this is just a bit of info for the women ;)

 

Well I think I will stop writing for now.

 

Signing off from the Beautiful Free Stylin NCL Dawn.

[boopsahoy]

Great review, cant wait to hear more!

[mike brosky]

can't wait to hear more im on the december 9 cruise

[rrobynec]

Really enjoying the pics & reading along!!! Makes me even more. Excited for 12/2.

Was there a Meet & Greet?

Did they announce when the Chef's Table is?

 

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

[tdcjerry]

We sail the Dawn 1/13 and can't wait, we gave up an aft cabin for a Family suite w/balcony, it's a new cabin to try.

Could you find out if the concierge will be the same in Jan. or even who the butler is for the suites on deck 12? Thanks for the updates.

[drhry]

Lisa, do you know if Virginia will still be onboard for the Dec. 9 sailing ? We keep missing her seems she is leaving the day we are arriving.

[larry_s_taco]

We will be on this cruise Dec 16th. Can't wait to see your posts.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Evening from the Caribbean as the NCL Dawn gets nearer to our first port stop of Roatan Honduras. Those that know me well know I rave about Roatan and that is probably the first reason I chose this itinerary. We are going on an excursion thru NCL to go over to the Island of Maya Key. The first couple of time we came here I had thought about Maya Key back before the cruise lines set them up for being an excursion.

 

OK I think I last left off talking about having gone down to breakfast at Blue Lagoon, well about 12:20 Tom was hungry again and wanted lunch so we headed back to Blue Lagoon before heading the the Show Lounge for the Latitudes Welcome Back Party, shortly after we were seated we saw Kathy and Bob walk in so we had them seat the 4 of us together. We rushed thru a quick lunch with Tom have the Fish and Chips and I had the Artichoke and Spinach Dip with Tortilla chips and a cup of Tomato Basil Soup. Then we headed to the Star Dust Theater. The drinks were none stop flowing, it so reminded me of the Old Days when HAL had the Mariner Parties in the Show Room. I really prefer what NCL does to what HAL now does. I am not for certain but would not be surprised if they had two Latitudes Parties one fo the lower level and one for the higher levels. Sadly we are in the lower level but this cruise does bump us up one level.

 

After the party we came back to our room to enjoy the amazing beautiful sea day we were having and do some reading out on the balcony. Well after a couple of chapters I found myself falling asleep. I believe I slept for about an hour and a half.

 

Tonight;s dinner was reservation in Le Bistro, I have to say of all the ships and cruise lines I have been on Le bistro is by far my favorite and she did not disappoint at all tonight. I had the French Onion Soup, Mussels in Creme Sauce , then the Lamb, Tom and the Filet of Beef and Salad. Then of course we had drinks of Kir Royale. For dessert we shared a Chocolate Fondue between the 5 of us and then I had the Vanilla Creme Brulee' It is now well after 11:30 and I am still stuff. Service was wonderful and we had a special treat that personally I have only seen in the movies or on TV. There was a table of 6 next to us that look like parents and two young couples. Suddenly we saw one of the young men get down on his knee in front of everyone and propose. The ring was in the ring box that was lit up with a light and the ring was gorgeous. It was really neat to be part of that.

 

After dinner we went to the 9pm show of V the Variety Show, this was excellent, I was extremely impressed. After the show we headed aft to Spinnakers for the 70's Groove Party.

Note to Joleen and Marie, Candy, Johnny and Boyd all said to say "Hi" to you and they miss you :) Johnny said next time he comes to Vegas he will be in touch.

 

Now another silly thing, This makes cruise number 36 that Tom and I have been on and the three NCL cruises are the only cruises I have ever gotten out and danced. Now for the other oddity. Those first dances were all to the song of "Play That Funky Music White Boy" The first was on the Star who I danced with our Son who was 30 at the time, the second was on the Pearl with my friend Nick and this time yes I went out and dance with Colleen lol. We stayed at Spinnakers till about 10n after 11 and decided to turn in for the night.

 

Well I think I have brought you up to date on our first full day activities. While I was writing Tom went to Blue Lagoon for Chicken Fingers and also while I have been writing this the Internet has been going up and down but I am not so sure part of the problem is not my little netbook. It has done a lot of traveling and Live Reports over the years.

 

Signing off from the Free Stylin NCL Dawn.

[bob brown]

Love your style (;)) of writing. Amazing attention to the minute details, such as the soap dispensers....

We are also frequent repeaters on HAL and NCL, and find your comparisons spot-on. Was on the Veendam in May, and got off the Dawn, when you got on.

[HokiePoq]

Love your review, thanks so much! Your comments about the dancers in the production shows is right on the mark.

I've found it's only the suites on NCL that have the Elemis products which I also love, HAL gives them to everyone. That is probably the reason for the bottles rather than dispensers.

Look forward to your next review and especially about your Roatan excursion!

[coscab]

I'm enjoying your report, we sail on Jan. 6th, first time to 3 of the 4 stops, we booked Tabyana beach, Roatan, through NCL, we usually venture out on our own but DH had rotator cuff surgery last month so we have to take it easy, if you hear of anyone that is doing that excursion please give feedback, would really appreciate it, I hope to snorkel there even if he can't.

I am watching the Dawn webcam waiting to see land come into view, have a great day in Roatan.:)