NCL Dawn 6/19 Review

[Teacherloves2Cruise]

Norwegian Dawn 6/19

 

 

I had a wonderful cruise with my new wife aboard the Dawn. While I hope to equip you with some good information, I did not take any form of notes and can’t promise this will be as thorough as some. I will cover the basics, and whatever else I can recall. With that said, listed here are merely my opinions based on my experience.

 

 

Embarkation- This was the smoothest embarkation process I have ever experienced. I have been on 6 cruises with 4 lines. I am a Lattitudes member, however saw no signs for an upper level, as some have mentioned. I went through the line for a few minutes and then a guy was asking if any of us were Lattitudes members, we then got to “cut” most of the line. It was great. The whole process from the curb to the ship took no more than 20 minutes. Just to note, we arrived at the pier at 1:30pm.

 

 

Overall Ship Appearance and Décor- The Dawn is a very nice ship. She is decorated with a contemporary flair, yet retains some classic elements to her look as well. The hub of the ship, the grand atrium, is beautiful. The restaurants all have their own look and flair. For the most part, the ship’s look was nice. I prefer more of an elegant, classic look, however the ship was clean and almost new-looking. The ship, for its size, is relatively easy to navigate. It is well signed.

 

 

Pool Area/Deck- I cannot add too much to what has already been said on countless reviews. It is very hard to get a chair poolside, if you hunt early in the day, you may be successful. Try going forward toward the hot tub.

 

 

Cabin- We had cabin 9022. It was a BC cabin, with a balcony. The cabin was nice; the bathroom is especially well designed with the 3 compartments. Unfortunately, we had a neighbor who knew no other way to discipline his child than to yell. We rarely heard the child, but the father, night and day. I like the actual design of the cabin, however the lime green couch and pink and blue spread is a little “Caribbean Tacky” to me.

 

 

Lounges/Theatre- The actual design of the lounges/bars in general was very good. Spinnaker Lounge was the main center for nightlife and was very nice. Other ships I have been on have had a lounge similar to the Spinnaker, except with a 360 view. That would have been nice. The theatre was nice, I appreciated the more traditional theatre design compared with the “show lounge” standard of most other ships. I wish there was a way to blend the two together. It would be great to retain the theater look but still get some small tables or beverage holders in there. I think the bar would make more money that way.

 

 

Note: I will review the look of each restaurant in the food section.

 

 

Aqua- This was the first dinner we had. The food was nice, I was impressed with the service, but the designed seemed dark to me.

 

 

Impressons- This reminded me of a traditional cruise dining room, just a little smaller. Service was OK here, seemed slow.

 

Venetian- The best of the free, main, dining rooms. Great service, wonderful décor, great view.

 

 

La Trattoria- I was disappointed in the food at this one, but my wife loved it (she had the chicken parm.) Service was good here.

 

 

Salsa’s- Wonderful. While the service was a little slow, the food was superb. We wanted to eat here again, but couldn’t get a reservation last minute. My stomach growls just thinking of it.

 

 

Blue Lagoon- For what they are (similar to a diner) they actual do well here. The food is not gourmet my any means, but tastes very good.

 

 

Garden Café- I was completely unimpressed every time I ate here. I found the food often cold, dry and old. It was hard, at times, to get a table and sometime the line was unbearable. I have to be honest, I have never been a fan of these type of cruise ship buffets, but this Garden Café was one of the worst I have ever experienced.

 

 

Cagneys- Great food, great service. Worth the cover charge. Wonderful.

 

 

Le Bistro- Same as Cagney’s. WONDERFUL DÉCOR. Unmatched, don’t miss this one.

 

 

Note: For the cover charge restaurants, the first night and then from 5:30-6:00 every night, it is 2 for 1. Cagney’s and Le Bistro are the best and it is worth eating a little earlier and then being able to go back another day for the same price.

 

 

Overall Service on Ship- GREAT. All the staff were friendly and helpful. There was great service on this ship.

 

 

Entertainment- I thought the bands we great. Modal Magic was the BEST. I was disappointed in the Jean Ann Ryan shows. I am used to full scale musicals, and these somewhat trashy, dance shows aren’t my cup of tea.

 

 

Cruise Staff- Overall, very good. Collin was a wonderful C.D. probably my favorite. I thought Lance the A.C.D. was not very good. He seems insecure and sometimes rude on stage. The rest of the cruise staff was very nice and really fun.

 

 

Private Island- Very nice. If you have time (about an hour total) go on the walk to the other side of the island. Go past the lighthouse to the little lagoon, it is very pretty. The food on the island disappointed me. Cold, mushy hotdogs. The snorkeling isn’t very impressive, but it is fun and worth it.

 

 

PC- We did the Disney trip and thought it was great. You don’t see everything but for a Disney fan, it is well worth it.

 

 

Miami- We didn’t get off the ship. Instead we got spa treatments, got a discount because we were in port. Great massage!

 

 

Nassau- Went to Atlantis at night, we didn’t get to see much. It wasn’t worth it for us, but maybe we could have, somehow, seen more? The next day we walked around the shops, which was nice.

 

 

Overall: My feelings about this cruise are mixed. I don’t think I would sail again out of NY or Boston. It was just too rough those first and last nights. Also, I wouldn’t go this itinerary again. I knew it was not quite as good as other when I booked, that as the reason we could afford it right now. Just thinking back to Western, Southern and Eastern Carribean cruises I have done, this itinerary was not even in the same league. The ship, however is a gem and a destination in itself.

 

 

My advice and conclusion: If you love a GREAT boat and GREAT service, this is for you. If you can deal with an OK itinerary, GOOD food and some rough seas, this is for you. If you are looking for a wonderful itinerary and 5 star food, I wouldn’t recommend the Dawn.

 

 

This cruise was a great price and well worth it. I would recommend NCL Dawn and this cruise, but again, would want it to be clear that the seas can be rough, and the food isn’t quite as good as Celebrity.

Feel free to email questions to brettnyc5@aol.com Please put "Dawn Question" in the subject line.

[lasifguvui5uh]

I have read several reviews of the 6/19 Dawn sailing now. With each one I'm more & more convinced I wasn't actually on that sailing, but got on the wrong ship. This isn't meant as a slam to you, Teach, or any of the other posters. Just an observation of how wildly perceptions can vary.