Dawn Review - 3/30-4/6

[Quincella]

As I started writing this review it became abundantly clear that there's no way I can do a "summary". I don't think it's in my genetic makeup. So, this is going to be pretty detailed and long, and posted in installments. Bear with me!

 

Returned Sunday from our week long cruise on the Dawn. It was our first time on the ship and we had an excellent week.

 

I traveled with just my husband (both of us 42); no kids this time.

Like I do with every cruise, I intended to take notes and pictures the entire trip so I could write The Best Review Ever for you fine people, but, like I do every cruise, I failed. Still, I hope someone finds some bit of useful information from what I can remember here. Ok, so here goes….

 

Day 1:

 

We arrived at the port in Tampa at about 10:15. We were intentionally early, because my goal was to be in the first boarding group so we could be sure to get reservations for the Chef’s Table. Check-in was incredibly easy. There was no line at security and no line for actual check-in. From the time we were dropped off at the curb (my husband’s parents live in the area, so we parked at their house and they drove us) to the time we were sitting in our seats waiting to board, already checked in, was less than 15 minutes. Good start.

 

The Freestyle Daily showed activities beginning at 11:00, so we were confident we’d be on board soon. We were, actually, on board “soon”, but not by 11:00. I believe they started boarding right about 11:30. We were in the boarding group called “Priority”, which as far as I can tell is just the first boarding group after the suites. It never ceases to amaze me how people will damn near trample the elderly and small children just to get in front of those two or three other people, because they might miss something in the 1.2 extra seconds it might take them to board if they don’t. Geez, people. Anyway, we boarded on Deck 7 (love the balloons and “Welcome Aboard!” from the crew!) mid-ship and headed to the Restaurant Reservations desk for Chef’s Table reservations (got ‘em! Yay!) and then to Guest Services to turn in a letter I had for $200 onboard credit. Again, very quickly handled, showed up on my account very quickly, no issues.

 

So now it’s time for lunch. I’m starving. I basically hate all buffets. The whole concept sort of skeeves me out and I avoid them as much as is practical, so off to the Venetian we went. I have to say, even though it pains me to do so, that the experience was just poor. The service was excruciatingly slow, the waitress was surly, the food was not good. Not inedible, as some people say, but not enjoyable at all. That was our only trip to Venetian all week.

 

By the time we finished, the rooms were ready! We went to Bamboo to pick up the carry-on luggage my husband had checked there (his guitar) and headed to Deck 11 to see our mini-suite. It was nice! The extra room over a standard balcony was noticeable. We were very comfortable there all week. We headed up to the pool deck and found a couple of loungers to hang out on, soak up some sun (still fully clothed!) and enjoy the band. It was so relaxing both of us actually fell asleep there until the announcement came that it was time for the muster drill. I was a bit mortified because I’m sure I was probably snoring and drooling , but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open! After muster, we decided to watch sail-away on Deck 13 forward, but we got bored and went back to our own room to watch the river scenes from our balcony.

 

Side-bar: Muster was quick (10 minutes?) and easy. Our station was on deck, but the weather was cooperative and it was over before we knew it. On the other hand, the Carnival Legend was docked just down from us, and their muster seemed to go on FOREVER! Those people must have been out there for ½ hour. I’m not exaggerating. I felt sorry for them and wondered if there was some sort of issue, because I’ve never seen a muster drill last that long. But anyway, I digress….

 

Ok, so back on the balcony and we had to eventually get dressed for our 6:00 reservations at Cagneys. I really didn’t want to eat there, honestly. I’ve always thought it was ok, but really just ok. That said, DH had never been and he wanted a steak, so Cagney’s it was. We were greeted and seated promptly at a table by the window, where we got to see the ship go under the Sunshine Skyway bridge. We both had a shrimp cocktail (good, with three large shrimp each). DH had the crab salad (good), a 10 oz bison steak (not good….full of gristle), Cagney’s fries (yum!), and Oreo cheesecake for dessert that he said was divine. I had Wagyu sliders (delish), the 5 oz filet with Gorgonzola (also delish), Cagney’s fries, and raspberry crème brulee for lunch. Overall, the meal was just ok and not worth the $30 per person charge, for us. A funny……there was an elderly German couple seated next to us who we would run into throughout the week. She ordered the pea soup, and when it showed up she asked “Where are the peas?” I looked over and, sure enough, it was not like any pea soup I’ve ever seen. Certainly not the green pea puree I’m used to in a pea soup, but instead it was a beef broth with vegetables in it, but no peas. She said “This is the first pea soup I’ve ever seen with no peas.” The waitress said they cook it with peas in it but remove them before it’s served, and the lady replied “So then they should call it ‘essence of pea soup’ instead, maybe.” She switched to the baked potato soup which did, indeed, include potatoes.

 

Ok, so a couple of final things about Day 1. We ended up in Gatsby’s listening to the music of Dave something. He was great (vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica) and we’d end up spending a lot of time there over the week. Went to a raffle at the Duty Free shop (didn’t win) and then in bed relatively early. The bed was horribly uncomfortable. That was the first time in any cruise, on any line, where I’ve experienced such a terrible bed. My hips, legs, and backs ached all week, even after our awesome room steward, Windshor, added a topper to it. That was probably my biggest disappointment of the week. Also, I forgot to mention that it was absolutely freezing in the waiting area at the Port of Tampa. I was wearing jeans and a jacket and was still shivering. I felt sorry for everyone in shorts and tanks!

 

Up next: Day 2 at sea

Edited April 9, 2014 by Quincella

[Quincella]

Day 2: Sea Day

 

We woke up relatively early all week. My husband attends the Friends of Bill W meetings and they’d scheduled them for 7:00 am every day in the Star Bar. They later added a 2nd meeting, in an actual meeting room, at 5:30. In case anyone is wondering, they were fairly well attended, with 9 total men and women there every day, I’m told. Anyway, breakfast Monday morning (every morning, actually) was in the buffet. Now I’ve already made my disclaimer about how I feel about buffets, so take what I write here with a large grain of salt. I did not care for the buffet setup at all on the Dawn. It was more of a traditional setup where you have to go through the whole line even if you only want one thing from the middle, rather than the newer station setup you see on the Jewel class and Epic that seems to make the process less hectic and easier to maneuver through. The food was good, though. I had basically the same thing every day, and I enjoyed it each time. I also paid $2.50 for a freshly juiced carrot and orange juice most mornings at the juice bar in the Garden Café (buffet). The first morning was a Mimosa morning for me, though, and they were only $4.25, as were the Bloody Mary’s, in the mornings.

 

When we were finished, we wandered around a bit and then back to our cabin. I had some things I needed to iron (don’t judge!) so I called Guest Services and they sent up an iron and ironing board for my use. I spent the next hour or so getting out some wrinkles while my husband went off to the Havana Club to enjoy a cigar. We didn’t do a lot that day, really just relaxing and reading and mulling about. I know we visited the gift shop and picked up a couple of things, and I’m sure we had a nap, but that’s about it.

 

Dinner that night was in La Cucina. In all of my NCL cruises I’ve never eaten there, mostly because the reviews aren’t usually great. The meal started off not-so-great, as just like in Venetian at lunch the day before the service was just awful. I’m not all that picky, honestly, but I do expect to be acknowledged by the server, even if he/she is busy and can’t get to me right away, and to have someone give me a menu and water in a reasonable amount of time. We sat for close to 15 minutes before we were even greeted by our server, who came to the table and said “Are you ready to order?” Umm…..no. We didn’t even have menus, or drinks. I was about to leave at that point, when I looked up and saw the Assistant Maitre D, Giovanni, who apparently figured out things were not as they should be at our table and immediately sprung into action to correct it. He didn’t speak with us yet, but within a second we had menus, drinks, another server, and impeccable service the rest of the evening. That meal turned out to be in the top 3 of the entire week. I had the caprese salad, the Osso bucco (sp?), and I don’t know what for dessert, but I liked it. The whole meal was delightful, with the creamy polenta on the side of the veal being so good I swear I couldn’t get enough. We’ll be back to La Cucina when on the Getaway in September, for sure.

 

After dinner we the music of Dave in Gatsby’s again, then went to the show. It was Band on the Run, and we both thought it was pretty good, if you like that sort of thing.

 

Next: Day 3 and Roatan

[Quincella]

Day 3 – Roatan

 

From here on out the details are a bit more sketchy in places. I know we did certain things, but I don’t necessarily remember what day we did them. I’ll probably include those things in a final “here’s all the other stuff we did but I can’t remember when” section at the end. Just wanted to let you know. Also, if I we did something on a Wednesday and someone else comments that no, it couldn’t have been Wednesday because that specific thing happened on Thursday, then…ok, it was probably Thursday. Whatever.

 

Ahem……onward. Tuesday was Roatan. I know there is a lot of concern about Roatan since the tragic murder of the Pearl crew member, but I have to say that I just love it there and will go back whenever I have the opportunity. It’s just beautiful. My last visit I did a tour with Victor Bodden, which was great. This time decided to book the Zip and Dip with South Shore Canopy Adventures. We easily found the booth when we got off the ship and had about 3 minutes before we boarded our air conditioned van with our driver, Alvin. We did buy some adorable bracelets with bamboo beads from a woman in the parking lot while we waited. 4 for $5, and perfect for my 3 daughters and me. Anyway, they gave us cold water and we headed out for our day with them. I don’t remember how long it took to get there….maybe 30 minutes?....but Alvin kept us entertained and informed the entire way. The actual zip lining was a blast! The weather was picture perfect (as it was all week), the views were amazing, the lines were long and fast, and I always felt safe and secure. There were people from ages 6 to 85 in our group and everyone did just fine. Some people weren’t comfortable going it alone and had a guide go with them.

 

My poor husband, who had never zip lined before, was terrified. Had I known he was going to react that way I wouldn’t have booked that excursion, but it was too late at that point. He was trying to play it cool but he said it was a good thing he had a bit of a tan or he would have just looked deathly white and pale! He actually got stuck on the first line because he braked too much, and he had to flip himself around and pull himself the rest of the way, hand over hand. That was unpleasant. He lightened up after the third line, he said, but he wouldn’t do it again. Too bad. I loved it!

 

So the zips were done and we headed off to the beach, which was beautiful. There were changing rooms there (very clean!) and we could use those facilities, plus beach chairs, at no additional charge. The place was quite nice, the food was good, and the beer was cold. I wish we had more time there. The sand was perfect, the water was amazing, and it was like a little slice of heaven, truly. When we were done we went back to the ship and…I don’t know what we did. Probably took a nap or something.

 

Dinner that night was in Aqua, and it was our only dinner that week in the MDR. I don’t remember what I ate, but I remember it was pretty good and the service was good that night. We did have quite a wait (like 20 minutes) for a table, but we took our drink coupon to the bar at Gatsby’s and hung out listening to our new pal Dave while we waited, and I drank both our glasses of bubbly since DH doesn’t drink alcohol.

 

That’s all I remember about Tuesday specifically. Next up: Wednesday, and Belize.

 

It'll be later, because I have to actually work so I don't get fired. I need the gig so I can pay for my next cruise! Oh, and to live and stuff.

[CruisersfromSD]

Great review so far....we will be on the Dawn in 11 days so we're excited to read more!

[cmego2]

Off to a great start! I'm looking forward to reading about the remainder of your week aboard the Dawn. We set sail from Tampa on Easter Sunday which is quickly approaching. I, too, am a mimosa fan so I was excited to read that they are affordable for a morning pick-me-up! :)

[Quincella]

Day 4: Belize

 

Neither my husband nor I had ever been to Belize before, so we were pretty jacked up about this port. We woke early again, breakfast at the trough buffet, and waited for them to say we were ready to tender in. My husband had gone to get us tender tickets and we were #139. The first called were those with NCL excursions, gold and platinum Latitudes, and tickets 1 – 100. What a mess this turned out to be! We went to hover near the line (not blocking it) so that we’d be right there when they called our group. We had cave tubing booked with Cavetubing.bz and wanted to get there as soon as we could. Well, we stood and stood and stood and waited and waited, and the line seemed to never move. It was odd. You know what else is odd? People’s behavior. I swear to you, the couple in directly in front of us got into an actual fight, first of words and then they were slapping each other, right there in front of god and everybody, because the wife thought the concierge could get them to the front of the non-moving line, and she was going to go to Cagney’s to get him/her, but the husband said the concierge wasn’t in Cagney’s at all and if she left they line it would take longer. And this, ladies and gentlemen, caused a slapping fight. What is WRONG with people?

Anyway, eventually the line did move, and we did get on our tender. I’m here to tell you they were not even looking at tender tickets, so it did no good for us to wait our turn and follow the rules. The numbers on those tickets were well beyond what group was called.

 

The tender ride was about 15 minutes or so, and it was pretty fun and fast! Lots of ships there that day so we got great views of them all. We arrived at the dock, found the company relatively easily, and soon enough were on a giant but air conditioned bus to where the cave tubing was to take place.

A couple of things about that. First, if you book this tour you’ll actually stop at Vitalino’s house (he’s the owner) to pay just before you get to the park where you hike to the tubing spot. They also have water shoes for sale and rent, because they said the park rangers won’t allow you in without them. I don’t know if that’s true, because I didn’t see anyone looking at feet when we got there, but I’d still suggest sturdy shoes, regardless. The hike is long and the road and river bed, which you have to wade through, are rocky.

 

We got to the park, used the changing rooms to put on our bathing suits because we weren’t already wearing them, left our stuff in the bus, and off we went. Everyone has to wear a life jacket and a helmet, so we picked those up. Our guide, Robin, was fantastic. We learned so much history and all about the flora and fauna during that hike I swear I feel like I could teach a class, or at least know what to eat and where to find water if I’m stranded in the Belizean jungle. I even ate a termite! It’s true, in case you heard it, that they kind of taste like mint. And they’re a little woody, too. So the part where we hooked the tubes and got into the water was a bit messed up (long, irrelevant story), but we got there, got in, and we were on our way. It was very cool, I have to admit. The water was nice, the guides pulled us through the very shallow parts so we did no work at all, the cave was cool, and the story-telling was fun. The slapping couple were even behaving (yes, they were on this tour with us….figures). When we got through the cave we continued down the river a bit, got out, changed back into dry clothes, and were off to lunch.

 

Lunch was super good (chicken, rice and bean, cole slaw, rum punch and/or soft drinks). Drove back to the meeting place and we were done. Last tender was supposed to be at 4:30 and we made it back at about 3:50. We did tip drivers and guides on every excursion, in case anyone is wondering. They all earned it, too.

 

Dinner that night was the Chef’s Table. What an interesting evening that turned out to be! It was held in La Cucina. We met at 6:00 at Gatsby’s, directly in front of La Cucina, where they had seats reserved for us while we waited and glasses of bubbly (and something else for my non-alcohol drinking DH…whatever he wanted). There were 10 of us in total, and I know there were people on a waiting list because I spoke to some people who were not able to get in, so I’m glad I went directly to the reservations desk when I boarded. Anyway, two of the couples knew each other and were actually traveling together. Another couple (the “interesting” ones) greeted the other two as if they knew each other, but I found out later they really didn’t, and then there was one more couple from Scotland and the UK. Very, very nice folks, most of them.

 

We were greeted by Giovanni (remember me talking about him from our 2nd night at La Cucina? Awesome!) and led inside, where we found our places at the table (they have place cards, but our names were all backwards, which I found amusing), set down our drinks, and went for a group photo on the main atrium staircase with the Executive Chef. We all got an 8x10 as a keepsake at the end of the night.

 

Service was impeccable, if leisurely, and the food was very, very good. They kept the wine glasses full and the conversation was spirited. Despite that, the woman in The Interestings kept complaining about every single thing. The room was too warm. The flowers were blocking her view. On and on. She also interrupted conversations and demanded everyone at the table’s attention more than once. I won’t go into more detail, but seriously, Mrs. Interesting was…..something. At one point early on I was honestly thinking about leaving, assuming that at least 6 of them knew each other and DH and I would be outnumbered. Fortunately, The Interestings didn’t actually know the two couples traveling together. I realized I’d be ok when, during one complaint, I looked over at one of the other woman who rolled her eyes at me and had a look of “wow…can you believe this?” on her face, so I felt a kindred spirit. We stayed, the dinner was great, and we met some super fun people. It was, though very long. We completely missed the 9:00 Bollywood show and weren’t actually done until close to 10, where we left La Cucina for Gatsby’s for after dinner drinks. This was part of the meal still. I didn’t think I could choke down one more thing, but I managed, somehow.

 

That was the end of the evening for us, and after a short walk on deck and a quick donation in the casino, we were done.

[Quincella]

Day 5: Costa Maya

 

We made it into Costa Maya and it was crazy windy! There were supposed to be three ships in that day (Dawn, Epic, and Carnival Dream, I think), but the other two had to beg off because it was just two windy to safely dock. So, sea day for them, but a wonderful day in Costa Maya for us! Woo hoo!

 

We got in, walked past all the very aggressive vendors, and down the road a few blocks to the Native Choice office for our tour. One thing about the vendors….they really were very aggressive. More so than normal. I don’t really blame them, though, since their income potential was greatly reduced when it went from 3 ships to 1 that day. But, yeah…they were more aggressive than I’ve ever seen them.

 

Ok, so on to the rest of our day. We booked the Mayan Experience with Native Choice, which turned out to be a great choice for us. It was quite a long ride to the ruins (Chacchoban), and our initial guide, Joel, was very informative. It was nice to learn some things in a place that’s usually a beach stop for me.

 

When we got to the ruins they separated us into smaller groups and we went with our new guide, Erick. Erick was awesome! He’s young (23) and super friendly and knowledgeable and just fun to be around. Since there was only one ship, we basically had the ruins to ourselves, which was nice. No crowds. And while the ruins were great and the grounds very nice, I enjoyed seeing all the spider monkeys in the trees. They’re cuter than the squirrels I’m used to!

Once we were finished with the ruins, we re-boarded the bus for the 2nd part of our day, which was to travel to an actual modern day Mayan village, where we were invited into a private home, which was lovely. We got to make our own corn tortillas, and then were served the best tasting lunch ever. It was ridiculously good! We also had the hottest hot sauce we've ever eaten. Only a few of us braved it, but for hot sauce junkies it was not to be missed! I think my favorite part of that experience was that it was actually the village were our guide, Erick, lived. He was quite obviously very proud of his heritage and his neighbors and family and took great joy in sharing their way of life with us. It was heartwarming, honestly. Oh…and did I mention the killer lunch? Wowzers.

 

I’m not sure what time we made it back to the ship, but we were tired and I know we took a nap. I was also really, really sore, so I went to the spa to make some appointments. First, I needed a foot and ankle massage to try to relieve some of the incredibly uncomfortable swelling (my feet and ankles tend to do that in the heat and when I sit for long periods of time). I also booked a consultation with the acupuncturist. This was out of pure desperation. I have chronic low back pain, and a couple of days of long bus trips had me really hurting. One of the guys that we met earlier in the week was telling us he had gone a couple of times (also out of desperation) and that he’d actually felt some relief, so I decided to give it a go.

 

Spa summary: I was not impressed. Most of the staff were new (they told me so) and really didn’t know what they were doing. They were nice, but just not well trained yet, which was a bit annoying. It took longer to book than it should. The foot/ankle massage was kind of a bust. It just wasn’t very good, and she was trying to sell me every product in the book. I did buy one thing, and I like it, but it was constant from the minute I got there until I went to the acupuncture appointment, and it was off-putting. The acupuncture did give me some relief, if only for a few days. So much so that I’m going to seek out an acupuncturist locally. It was pricy, though, at $150 a pop, and of course she “strongly recommended” I go every day for the last three days of my cruise for maximum relief. Um……no. So, about $300 later, I left with some level of relief, a not-so-great impression, and a really expensive bottle of oil. And that was that. More on the spa a little later, as we did buy day passes for Saturday.

 

Oh, and dinner that night was in….wait for it….the buffet! I have never before eaten dinner in the buffet on a cruise ship, but we were tired and didn’t want to wait at Aqua (the line was long), so buffet it was. I had some pan seared corvina with caper sauce over rice that was very, very good. Everything else was just meh. The pizza was awful (yes, I do know pizza and fish don’t exactly complement each other, but such is the nature of the trough). The pretzel rolls were, as always, my savior. I also did the crepe station, and it was pretty good, too.

 

I think we went back to the casino for a bit, where I made another donation and my husband won $100 or so. It was fun. More music (could have been Jose and Patti, where were great, or Dave, or Ariel at Gatsby’s….I don’t recall). And that was it, I think.

 

Tomorrow, Cozumel.

[jdvmd]

Loving it!

[Quincella]

Day 6: Cozumel

 

As you’ve read, we’d had a pretty active week excursion-wise. Out of deference to my husband, who could really hang out at the beach all day every day, I’d decided to make this one a beach day. Usually in Cozumel I go to Paradise Beach. In fact, I’ve done that every single time I’ve been to Cozumel until this trip. I decided to change it up a bit and booked us for the day at Nachi Cocom, and all-inclusive beach resort.

 

We ate breakfast, got off the ship, did a little gift shopping (I happen to like the Punta Langosta shops and we picked up some cute stuff for the kids at good prices), and we were off to catch a cab. $20 (with tip) got us to Nachi Cocom, where we were promptly set up with 2 loungers and a palapa right in front of the ocean.

 

What did I think of the place? It was pretty nice, but I wouldn’t do it again. The service was as good as could be expected, considering our poor waiter had a ton of people to wait on. It was pretty slow-going getting drinks, and they were often wrong. I drank them anyway because I’m not that picky, but the one thing that made me kind of mad was the my husband’s virgin pina colada was not, in fact, a virgin. Thankfully, I’d tasted both his and mine before he drank it, because that would not have been good (remember I mentioned he attended the Friends of Bill W meeting on the ship?). From then on, he just walked to the bar and watched him make his drinks himself. The food that I actually got after I ordered it was delicious. I wanted more, but he never came back after the initial food was delivered, and then it was only ½ of what we ordered. So for $50 a person, we had about 2 or 3 drinks each (and only mine had alcohol), 2 bottles of water, and 1 plate of delicious nachos. We left pretty early because the place wasn’t doing it for us.

 

Back to town to find a specific cigar shop for the husband (found it!), and then back on the ship. We actually went to Blue Lagoon for a bite to eat, since the nachos weren’t holding me over and the husband hadn’t eaten anything at all. He had wings, which were hot and crispy and better than I remember them being, and we both had fish and chips, which were pretty tasty. Service was prompt and, again, better than I remember it being on other ships.

 

I love the dance party they do on the dock now, and since we were directly across from the Epic it made it even more fun. Our balcony overlooked the pier, so we got a great show. We also had the chance to talk to the people in the room next to us, who said they’d been to the White Hot Party the night before and had a tale to tell. First, they said it was a lot of fun, which it usually is so I’m not surprised there. But the “fun” part came from the scene they witnessed that involved a young woman, her husband or boyfriend, and another group of younger (early 20’s) cruisers who got more than they expected when the first woman got into a fight with her significant other. Apparently there was fighting and drama, and then Woman 1 buying shots for the group of three youngers (2 guys and a girl), and then Woman 1 sitting on the lap of, and making out heavily with, one of the guys in the younger group. My neighbor said at one point she swears they were actually doing the deed right there on the deck in front of everyone, and her dress, which had a tube-type top, ended up around her waist. Classy. I’m sure there are videos on YouTube, if anyone is interested in looking for it, because she said people were filming. People get on a ship, drink too much, and lose their minds! Makes for free entertainment for the rest of us, but still….geez.

 

Where was I…..oh, yeah. The party. It was good and it was fun. Many people barely made it back to the ship, and we got to watch the “runners” as they almost missed the ship, which is always a favorite for me! Dinner that night was in Le Bistro. I forgot to mention that it was our anniversary that day, so I had the room decorated as a surprise for my husband (he loves that stuff) and it was done as ordered when we boarded the ship the first day. I was a bit worried because I changed rooms after I’d placed the order but I’d forgotten to tell anyone. I was glad to see they figured it out.

 

Anyway, dinner in Le Bistro for our anniversary, where we ran into our favorite Assistant Maitre D (I do know I can’t spell that so there’s no need to tell me), Giovanni, again. Apparently he was now covering both La Cucina and Le Bistro, and we were happy to see him. Then our friends from the Chef’s Table, the two couples that were friends and traveling together, were seated directly next to us, so it was like we got to eat with them again! They were kind enough to send wine to me and wish us a happy anniversary, which was very nice. I had the cream of mushroom soup (love!) and mussels (didn’t care for them) for appetizers, the Fruits de Mer (good, but I wouldn’t pay for it again), and crème brulee for dessert. Very, very good. Tied for my other favorite meal on the ship that week. DH had scallops and escargot that were delicious, the filet mignon, which was wonderful, and cheesecake or something for dessert. An excellent meal, as is the norm for Le Bistro. I love that place.

We listened to music in Gatsby’s afterward, and actually kind of venue-hopped to get a taste of everything that was going on. It was a nice night. I think we actually stayed out until midnight that night! We’re regular party animals, I tell you.

 

Next up: Last sea day

[Quincella]

Day 7: Last Sea Day

 

This day is a bit of a blur, but I’ll try to hit the highlights. We had breakfast and then headed off to the spa. When I was there earlier in the week I’d purchased day passes for both of us, expecting it to be packed on the last sea day but it wasn’t at all. The whirlpools felt great on my poor back, the indoor pool was very nice when I wanted to cool off, and the chairs, although not the heated stone loungers of the newer ships, were comfortable and overlooked the wake off of the aft. It was a great way to spend a few hours. I didn’t use the sauna or steam room, but my husband did and said they were very nice. The cost was $30 each, and since we went back later in the day it was definitely worth it for me. We bought the week passes when on the Epic last year and both agreed it was not a good value for us, but for a day it was great.

 

We wandered a bit the rest of the day, but then I remember nothing until dinner, which was in Moderno this time. It was a bit loud because on the Dawn it overlooks the atrium, and they had the Final 4 NCAA basketball tournament on the giant screen. Fans were very spirited and vocal in their support of their teams (it was U Conn v. Florida that game), which I completely understand because I would be the same, but it made for a rather noisy dinner. I’ve been to Moderno before and liked it ok, but this time I really loved it. First, the seafood chowder from the salad bar is to die for. It may have been the best single food item I had all week. Amazing. The meats were all fresh and cooked perfectly and I could have eaten my weight in the garlic beef and lamb chops. Holy crap was it good. Dessert was not so much. I didn’t taste the papaya cream, but the mange rice pudding was awful, we thought, and the flan was just ok. I did have one drink there (a caipirinha, or however you spell it) and let’s just say they poured that drink generously! It was great, but I couldn’t have had more than one.

 

So eventually we made it back to the shops for some final purchases, listened to some more music, including the Eric Clapton Tribute by Dave in Gatsby’s, and some other stuff. Then off to start packing, my least favorite part.

 

Final thoughts:

 

We chose to carry off our own luggage. Had breakfast in the buffet (had to get in one more chocolate croissant) and decided to go ahead and get off. The line was incredibly long, but when it started moving it went very fast, until…..it didn’t. It just stopped. We were all just standing there for maybe 20 minutes or more and no one knew why. Apparently it was a Customs thing inside the building. Once it was cleared off, we were off the ship and through customs in less than 10 minutes. Easy peasy. And that was that.

 

Some things I didn’t mention before…..

 

I did play Bingo once. The first session, I think. I won $1 on a pull-tab (now I can retire!) but it was pretty fun.

 

I spent a lot of time on my balcony, as I always do, and got through two books over the course of the week. One thing I missed were the flying fish. I didn’t see a single one, where usually I see tons of them, and I’m going to write a strongly worded letter to NCL for not arranging for my flying fish off the balcony that I enjoy so much. (I’m kidding, people. I did miss the flying fish, though).

 

I had to go to Guest Services a couple of times, including the very last morning, and they were great. Very helpful and took care of what needed to be taken care of very quickly and painlessly.

 

Our room steward was the best I’ve ever had on any ship. He was present and friendly and attentive and did a great job in our room, even making sure we had tons of coffee for my husband, who really should consider mainlining it at this point. He got off the same day we did for a well-deserved trip home for a couple of months, but was so good I actually filled out a Vacation Hero card for him, plus one for Giovanni. Incidentally, Giovanni is getting off in a couple of weeks, too, but he’s great if you get the chance to meet him.

I guess that’s it! We had a great week and enjoyed the ship very much. She’s not my favorite and I wouldn’t intentionally book her again, but I wouldn’t avoid it, either. I just like doing different ships, and the only one I’ve ever repeated is my beloved Epic.

 

Thanks for hanging in there if you’ve read this far. I’m happy to answer any questions, should anyone have any. Just remember we didn’t have kids with us, so I can’t speak to the Kids Club or its activities, we didn’t spend a ton of time at the pool (although more than I mentioned above) or the casino (although more than I mentioned above), and I didn’t keep any of the Freestyle Daily’s. Oh! I forgot that we did see Tim Kiminski’s first show, which was a hilarious “recreation” of The Wizard of Oz, and it was great.

[Patt0Butter]

Thank you so much for this detailed review. We will be on the Dawn April 27 for the repo cruise to Boston from Tampa. We have been on the Dawn twice before and actually enjoy that she is smaller with less 'flash'. Thanks for the tips on the food you enjoyed.

[chill6x6]

Enjoyed your review! I've got the Dawn booked for November 2014 out of NO. I'm not really crazy about ANY buffet so I usually eat in the MDR whenever possible….. I did seem to notice an improvement in food from my Spirit cruise to the Star….maybe the quality has gone downhill some...

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your very thoughtful review.

[Quincella]

The food was fine to good, really, for the most part. Only a couple of things I just didn't like, but most of it was just based in taste and not quality. And of course there were those few moments of brilliance that I always look forward to....and now I'm hungry...

 

 

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[EileenN]

going out on April 27 wiith my family and PattoButter, Love the Dawn and have sailed on her many times. Enjoyed your review, especially your excursions. Sounds like you enjoyed yourselves. Watch out for that other couple.

[deladypilot]

Thank you for taking the time to review your cruise. Sounds like a lovely vacation

[macaroni]

Where are the wings and fish and chips located on the dawn? Going next January out of New Orleans

[Quincella]

Wings and Fish and Chips are in Blue Lagoon. Deck 8 mid ship.

 

 

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[kjbacon]

I really enjoyed this review, thank you! I'm very interested to learn more about cave tubing, sounds so fun! Is the water more of a lazy river float or more of a fast moving waterway with drops (requiring some skill)? Overall, would you recommend this excursion, especially to an older couple? Thanks for your help!

[Quincella]

It was definitely a very lazy river for us, but it depends on the time of year, we were told. It's never particularly swift, though, and everyone is tied together. The guides do all the work. We had several older people on out excursion. They all did fine. The one area where some might have issues is that the walk is rather long, although it wasn't difficult or hilly. The water was refreshing.

 

 

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