Did I Choose Wrong????

[canadianjovigirl]

Hi everyone...........so sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, but overwhelmed trying to figure everything out - thankfully i have tons of time.

 

On a whim without much research i booked a Feb 2014 cruise from Tampa on NCL Dawn ship............the price for the suite i choose seemed good, got OBC so went with it. We have never cruised before and have been hesitant in the past, but tired of all-inclusives in Mexico and the theme park vacations. I got our Cayman Island 2012 Christmas trip completed so have been spending way to much time on here and NCL site and getting more and more confused.........

 

We will be travelling with our kids who will be 15 and 13 when this cruise happens. I am now having some concerns after peeking around on other threads and reading that maybe i should have gone with a different ship that offered more on board for the kids or maybe should have gone with RCL but i didnt care for the cabin options available for our dates......so my questions are:

 

Is there enough to keep busy on this ship or should i have choosen differently for our first cruise ( i choose this as thought some of the larger ships may be overwhelming for our first cruise, but maybe there is more to do so they might be better)??

 

Is it better to book excursions directly on the NCL website or somewhere else as i am reading alot and see others plan them on their own.........(i have been reading up on excursion tips etc somewhere on this board)??

 

Is there somewhere i should be looking on this board for info that i may have missed? I have checked out family cruise and first time cruisers, but that is for all cruise ships so easily confused then. Is there a place to read trip reports from this ship? I cant seem to locate them......

 

Thanks again and my apologizes if this is in the wrong place. I am probably just panicking and giving this way to much thought way to far in advance, but maybe hoping that everone will love cruising and it will become our new way to vacation..........

[roger001]

You can't go wrong with NCL and the Freestyle concept, and I think your kids will like that part of it. Less formality and structured dining and many other eating and snacking options readily available. And NCL suite service is excellent so you'll enjoy that. The larger ships (Epic and beyond) will of course have much more to do and see on board. However, the other ships are fine also. With all the other type vacations you have already done, only by trying a cruise will you know if a cruise is right for you and the family. NCL is an excellent choice and nothing wrong with the Dawn. However, research the other ships and see what other options one of them mught offer. The Pearl has a bowling ally and rock climbing wall for instance, other ships vary slightly. You've got plenty of time to change if you wish.

[Warmer Climes]

We are sailing on the Dawn in Feb 2013 with our 14 y.o. Last year was the first year she could go to the Teens Club and even though we were on a small, older ship- the Sun- and there weren't many teens on board, she had her best cruise ever. She didn't like the Epic the preceding year as much because she said it was harder to meet people. As she said, there are only so many times you want to go down a water slide and meeting other kids to do stuff is what makes a fun cruise. She made a couple of friends at the Teen Club on the Sun and they had a blast together the entire cruise.

 

The Dawn is a great ship- we were on it a few years ago and are glad to be able to re-sail it.

 

Barb

[time2cruise1]

I am booked on the Dawn Feb 2014 with 3 generations including teens. This will be my 11th cruise on the Dawn. You made a great choice for a first cruise. The fares from Tampa are great. I can tell you the current crew and staff are great. I just got off the Dawn Sunday after 16 days.

 

You kids should be fine. Show up at the teen club and meet the other teens onboard. All the onboard entertainment is open to them except late night after 11pm.

 

Freestyle makes it more like a land based dining experience. No set time and place for dinner. If they want to eat by themselves early and meet up with new friends no problem.

 

I will over one piece of advice. Add $100 pp to cruise fare and if the price is still ok you can really enjoy freestyle and all the dining options. Some have cover charges from $15-$25.

Edited November 14, 2012 by time2cruise1

[waverley7]

Hi Canadianjovigirl,

 

I think you will be fine, although I haven't sailed on the Dawn.

 

Our first cruise my daughter was 12 yrs old and we were on the Sun, which I think is similar in size. She had a ball, she found things to do without any problem.

 

As she got older and we sailed, I never really looked at what was there for her to do on the ships because she never had a problem meeting people and staying busy on board. I don't think you can really get bored on a cruise, too much going on everywhere!

 

As far as on your own excursions or ship: I believe these are your stops

Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel. I'm just going to give my opinion and tell you what we did.

 

In Roatan and Belize I would definately stick with a ship excursion. We did Tabyana Beach in Roatan (awesome snorkeling there, great beach, had tons of fun, music, food, drinks) In Belize we went river tubing, it was also alot of fun.

 

Costa Maya, I booked ziplining through someone I found through reading these posts. There is a link on here for each port, best way to find reliable companies from other people.

 

Cozumel.....first time there we went with a ship excursion. We are heading there again in January and we are going to do the following to which I read about on trip advisor www.cozumelbarhop.com , awesome reviews.

 

Most of the Southern and Eastern islands are safe enough to do on your own with the proper research but the Western Itinerary is a bit less safe as far as going off on your own.

 

As far as reading trip reports from this ship.....just check in each day under the "Norwegian Cruiseline" forum and look for the a Dawn review.

 

There is actually a live feed running right now for the Dawn.....http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1736709

 

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

 

If that link above doesn't work, then just go into Norwegian link on here and look for the above heading. Very good writer and interesting to read. Some pics too!

 

Good Luck and researching is half the fun!!! :p

[cmdchiefthom]

 

Is there somewhere i should be looking on this board for info that i may have missed? I have checked out family cruise and first time cruisers, but that is for all cruise ships so easily confused then. Is there a place to read trip reports from this ship? I cant seem to locate them......

 

Just take a look above the pages for these boards, and you'll find "cruise reviews". There are tons of reviews for all line and ships;)

[cvanrys]

Our first few cruises we always booked our shore excursions through the cruise line. Then like you, heard everyone talk about how much cheaper it is to book on your own. PLEASE keep this in mind. You are in foreign countries with children. If you book on your own and something happens, car or boat breaks down. Tour guide leaves you and doesn't come back, or they have mechanical problems and you miss your boat. All of a sudden 20-50 or even a $100 doesn't seem like quite a savings anymore.

[Cubechick]

Our first few cruises we always booked our shore excursions through the cruise line. Then like you, heard everyone talk about how much cheaper it is to book on your own. PLEASE keep this in mind. You are in foreign countries with children. If you book on your own and something happens, car or boat breaks down. Tour guide leaves you and doesn't come back, or they have mechanical problems and you miss your boat. All of a sudden 20-50 or even a $100 doesn't seem like quite a savings anymore.

 

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