Dawn Review - 5/29 - 6/5

[cruisesusie]

This was our third cruise on NCL - the first was in 1981 on the Southward and the second was on the old Dawn to Bermuda. My husband and I travelled with our son, daughter-in-law and 10 month old granddaughter. This was our 15th. cruise, mainly with Princess. This is a compilation of all our thoughts.

 

EMBARKATION -

 

After reading all the horror stories about embarkation, we were expecting a nightmare. We were pleasantly surprised - everything went smoothly. We arrived at the pier around 10:30 and checked in immediately. They directed us to a waiting area with chairs and snacks and we were on the ship by noon. There wasn't a line for restaurant reservations, so we took care of that right away. You can make reservations for the entire week.

 

DISEMBARKATION -

 

Went very smoothly. They allow you to wait in your cabin. We found our luggage easily.

 

CABIN -

 

We had a balcony cabin on deck 9. I'll start with the bathroom - the best we've had on a cruise ship. Large shower with a glass door. Great shower head. They provide shampoo and soap in dispensers. The sink area had adequate space for toiletries and the toilet is in a separate area, also with a glass door. The cabin had plenty of drawer and closet space. The beds are extremely comfortable.

 

STAFF -

 

The staff was very helpful and friendly. They were especially nice to our granddaughter. All the staff seem to go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

 

FOOD -

 

We felt the food overall was fair. Here are some of the details:

 

Cagney's - The food was ok. The steak was good, but the crab cakes were tasteless and the lobster dry. I guess we're used to the steak restaurants in NYC and its hard to beat them. The service was excellent.

 

La Trattoria - The food was ok. Service wasn't good - it took more than

1 1/2 hours for an appetizer and main course.

 

Teppeanyaki - Its a lot of fun, but my husband and I felt the food was just ok. Our son and daughter-in-law loved it.

 

Blue Lagoon - very enjoyable, quick and tasty. They have great hamburgers, stir fry, wanton soup, hot wings, etc.

 

Salsa - my husband and I didn't eat there, but my son and daughter-in-law loved it and ate there twice.

 

Dining Room - we ate there the last night and were sorry we didn't try it sooner. The food was pretty good and the service was excellent. My husband ordered something off the menu and they were very accommodating.

 

Buffet - fine for breakfast, but dinner was just ok. - The New York Deli was a disappointment. If you're expecting real New York deli, you'll find something entirely different. The meats just didn't come close, but they had tuna, egg salad and a few other salads that were good.

 

Ice Cream - The soft ice cream machine was working and they also have 3 kinds of hard ice cream. At night in the buffet, they also offer ice cream.

 

Chocolate Buffet - I was really looking forward to this, but it was a disappointment. They had a lot of very heavy, sweet cakes, fruit that they dipped in chocolate - not good. The chocolate sculptures were amazing, but I wouldn't go again.

 

A few more comments: The Internet Cafe - they charge .75/minute plus a 3.95 one time start up free. I used it just once. If you buy several minutes in advance the per minute charge is less.

 

We didn't go to any of the entertainment, but son and DIL went to a few shows and enjoyed them.

 

Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best. We didn't do any excursions. It poured in Cape Canaveral so we just walked around the pier when it finally stopped raining (late in day). In Miami we took a cab to South Beach. We went to Atlantis in Nassau - very interesting aquarium. Great Stirrup Cay was very crowded - we didn't stay too long mainly because of the baby. If you can get there early, grab a hammock, they looked wonderful.

 

Fitness Center - I took a few classes - they were very good. My husband used the machines and was satisfied. My son, who lifts weights almost every day, felt they needed more weight machines.

 

I think I covered it all. If anyone has any questions, just ask.

 

Susan

[judyf]

Thanks for posting a review. Sorry the weather wasn't better.

[cruisesusie]

Just thought I would bump this up in case anyone is interested.

 

Susan

[blame canada]

thank you for the info!

[vacationgogo]

Thanks for taking the time for the review. Too bad you missed all of the entertainment. We really enjoyed most of it. What did you do in the evening? Casino? Late dinners?

[cruisesusie]

We had early dinners because we were with our 10 month old granddaughter. After a day of sharing her with our son and daughter-in-law, all we could do in the evening was go for a short walk and collapse. We didn't mind at all - it was a pleasure to be with her and we have a 2 week cruise coming up in August (by ourselves !!).

 

Susan

[AC Stew]

You mentioned that you took fitness classes. Were they "specialized" classes, or regular aerobics? Were there additional charges, and if so, did you pay on a class to class basis. Thanks!

[cruisesusie]

I took Aerobics and body sculpting - both classes were very good - no fee. They offered no fee classes every day. They charged 10.00 for Yoga and Pilates - I didn't try them. The aerbocs class was very basic, but a good work-out.

 

Susan