6/12-6/19 Dawn Review. Long and detailed

[logcabin]

First of, this was our second cruise on the beautiful Dawn. We went last June as well and did all sorts of excursions, etc. So, this year we decided to just relax.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. We left NJ at 8:45am as we were a bit concerned about traffic at the tunnel due to the parade. No problem. We were in NYC, at the pier, dropped off our luggage, and had the car parked by 10am. We went into the terminal, found an NCL agent, showed her out tickets and were escorted up to the VIP waiting area. Read the paper, had some refreshment and watch the passengers disembark. We were called and escorted to the desks and were in our suite by 11am. That was GREAT!

 

Our suite was 10226. The Romance Penthouse Suite. Same exact suite as we had last year. So, it was like coming home. Nice size suite, queen size bed which is extremely comfortable. Huge balcony, which is why we choose this suite. We spend a lot of time on the balcony. We arrived to fresh flowers, champagne, invites to Latitude party, etc. We met Arnulfo and Narsico, our room stewards, who were very nice and very attentive. They kept our suite spotless. Carlo, the concierge, stopped by to introduce himself. Carlos left mid-week and Ruth came back. Frankly, we liked Carlos much more as he is much friendlier and more personable then Ruth. Actually, he did much more for us then Ruth did.

 

Next, we met the person who ultimately made our trip as wonderful as it was, our butler, Corina. She was just fantastic! She served us breakfast each and every morning in our suite. Always had a smile and was very personable. Each afternoon she stopped by with some goodies for us. Wednesday night she set up our balcony and served us dinner on our balcony. All very nice. She was even kind enough to leave us a really nice bottle of champagne in our suite on Saturday for us as well. She was just a delight and we can’t say enough about her.

 

We ate in Cagney’s on Sunday evening. My wife had Filet Mignon and I had Surf and Turf. A wonderful meal and the steaks were very tender and tasty. We ended up eating there on 2 occasions, which I will get to later. We also ate in La Bistro. Very good meal, as usual. However, there was a large group in there who had several children. These kids were not even eating and were very distracting as they were noisy, kept taking flash pictures of nothing (they were bored), etc. Frankly, one of the comments we left for NCL is that they should really have at least one adults only restaurant. Even the Disney ships have an adults only place. Just one place where adults can go and eat without concern about children. The most logical would be Le Bistro as I’m not sure how many young children would eat French food. Just a suggestion. We ate in Impressions 3 times as this is our favorite place. We ate there on formal night as well as two other evenings. Jana, our waitress, was very good. The food and service is always good in Impressions. We tried Ventitian again. We ate there last year twice and found the service slow and unfriendly. So, we tried it again this year and found it to be the same. Slow and un-friendly.

 

We went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, which was very nice. Great meeting all my follow CC’ers. NCL had a nice set-up of coffee, juices, Danish, etc. Some of the officers stopped by as well as the cruise director, Colin. W also went to the Latitudes party which was also very nice. We met and spent a lot of time talking with Hugo, the Hotel Manager. He was very nice and gave us a lot of information on NCL and some of the new ships coming out. Later that evening, Corina came to our door with a letter from Hugo. It was an invitation to dinner in one of the specialty restaurants and a bottle of wine on him. This was very nice and generous. So, we enjoyed another meal at Cagney’s.

 

Last year the Cruise Director was Paul Baya, who we enjoyed very much. This year it’s Colin Kerr. Well, let me just say that Colin is one of the most endearing people you will ever meet. He gave hugs and kisses to everyone. Now, no offence to Colin, but he reminded me a lot of Pee Wee Herman. His mannerisms, gestures, etc were VERY Pee Wee Herman.. In fact, one evening during one of the game shows, Lance (the asst cruise director) also made a comment about that. He is very funny and a delight to be around. In fact, my wife and I went to napkin folding just to spend some time with him. He is that much fun and entertaining. A real asset to NCL and the Dawn.

 

We only went on one excursion this year and that was to Sea World. It would have been a lot more fun if it wasn’t so darn HOT! It was miserably HOT! Brutally HOT! So, it was a bit of a tough day walking around and trying to enjoy everything. In Miami we got off for a bit and went to the Bayside Market and walked around. We stayed on the ship while at GSC. This was GREAT! As most people were over on the island. It was peaceful around the pool, etc. A great time to really enjoy the ship. We didn’t go ashore that night in Nassau, but greatly enjoyed the views of Atlantis at night from our balcony. On Friday morning we went to the Straw Market, which is always fun… Wheeling and dealing with the locals…

 

The ship, as always, is spotless. The entire staff is outgoing and friendly. Always have a smile and say “hello”. Although the ship was sold out, it never really felt crowded anyplace. Our favorite place to hang out was up at the Bimini Bar. We would sit at a table there each afternoon for a few hours and watch the sights and drink frozen drinks. Very nice and comfortable. We attended a few shows and really feel that NCL needs to change these shows at this point. Since the Dawn has such a large repeat business, the productions shows should really be changed every other year or so. However, they do still remain entertaining. Second City was very funny and entertaining and was the Magician. We thought Edge was too much and not funny. We enjoyed peaceful nightly walks around the top deck and promenade decks, took afternoon naps on our balcony, enjoyed a few movies in our suite, and just relaxed.

 

Disembarkation. We received VIP disembarkation tags for our luggage. We met in the Bamboo restaurant at 9:20am and were escorted off the ship by 10am. We were in our car and heading home by 10:20am and home before Noon. It was a breeze, just as was embarkation. Overall, it was a tremendous vacation. Very relaxing and enjoyable. For all those who never sailed on the Dawn, you can’t go wrong with her. It is a very nice vacation and a wonderful ship..

 

I’ll be stopping by periodically. So, for anyone who has any questions, please feel free to ask.

[RedDragon90]

My wife and 2 small children will be going on the Dawn in August. How hectic is it when you get to the pier and drop off your luggage? How much time did it take to park your car and getback to the pier? Any suggestions you had would be great.

 

thanks

[Suesan Jean]

Well, ANOTHER GREAT, HAPPY Dawn Review!!! I am glad that all went well.... EVERY review I read makes me look forward to the day we board the Dawn again (in February) we too will be in the same cabin we had in April (an AB, #11020), we LOVED that cabin and we hope we have the same Butler, Lani. She was wonderfull!! She did help to make our cruise very, very pleasurable!!!

 

So when's your NEXT cruise?!?!:D

 

Suesan:) :) :)

[logcabin]

Sean: My advice is to get there early. Check the bridge cam first thing in the morning to see if she is coming in. if she is in by 8ish, you can be on board by 11ish. Getting there at 10 there was hardly any confusion outside. I pulled over, dropped off my luggage and wife, drove up and parked, walked back down and was sitting in the VIP waiting area, all in under 15 minutes.

 

Susan: We are looking into a Caribian (sp) cruise for next summer. I'm watching the new Princess ship, NCL's ship going down there (I think the Spirit) or RCCL's Vayager class ship.. Whomever has the best price. We usually book in Feb or March. We also want a longer cruise. We've been on so many 7 day ones, we want to try a 10 or 11 day one. But, can only sail during the summer (early June) as my wife is a teacher.

[RedDragon90]

thanks

 

sean

[tigerlilycruiser12]

Logcabin

 

Great review. Thanks for posting it. Sounds like you were taken care of very well by all and had a great time. :) I also enjoyed sitting around the Bimini Bar. Usually not too many people and if you want to hide from the crowds on the deck, that is the place to go. ;)

 

marie

[jrose529]

Logcabin,

Thanks for your wonderful review. I can't wait for my August cruise on the Dawn! :D

[debjo]

For Logcabin...

Nice to read another great DAWN review...it helps me relive my two past DAWN cruises again. Sounds like you had a much more relaxed time being on the ship for the second time. There is something nice about being able to enjoy a ship when you don't have to constantly figure out where you are and how to get there. I didn't think I would have as much fun on our second DAWN cruise...guess what...I was so wrong! I, too, look forward to another cruise on the DAWN. She is a great ship with a terrific staff and crew!

 

Debjo

[liker1]

Could you please post the freestyle dailies if you collected them. thank you.

[DivaRoe]

logcabin write,,,,This year it’s Colin Kerr. Well, let me just say that Colin is one of the most endearing people you will ever meet. He gave hugs and kisses to everyone. Now, no offence to Colin, but he reminded me a lot of Pee Wee Herman. His mannerisms, gestures, etc were VERY Pee Wee Herman..

 

I sure hope we have him on our cruise on Aug 21!Did you hear that he will be staying on the Dawn for the month of Aug?

 

Oh I love Pee Wee Herman, he was so funny.

[Cosmopolitan]

LOGCABIN:

 

Your review was a joy to read. Glad you enjoyed your cruise so much.

 

We also loved Corina. She is such a pleasure ALL of the time.

 

"Last year the Cruise Director was Paul Baya, who we enjoyed very much. This year it’s Colin Kerr. Well, let me just say that Colin is one of the most endearing people you will ever meet. He gave hugs and kisses to everyone. Now, no offence to Colin, but he reminded me a lot of Pee Wee Herman"

Our first cruise on the Dawn was September 2004, Colin kept saying "who is this Pee Wee Herman guy, everyone keeps telling me I remind them of Pee Wee."

This year he didn't mention it.

I love his "The captain called me to the bridge" stories.

If ever a person was in his "right place" in life, it is Colin.

Glad you enjoyed him as much as we do:)