Norwegian Dawn ?

[Caroline1178]

We are looking to book our first ever cruise. Group traveling will need 3 cabins (1 for my mom and dad, 1 for my sister and 1 for my 2 kids (9 and 13) and me).

Everyone wants to travel from Boston since we live in CT so it seems easy. I also like the idea that the Dawn goes from Boston to Bermuda and stays there for a few days. Seems more fun and gives more opportunity to explore more of the area as opposed to new stops every day but only being there for 8 hours or whatnot.

 

I'm looking for feedback on this ship. How is the food? We are sort of picky when it comes to quality.

Is there a lot to do on the ship, specifically for the ages of my kids (9 and 13).

Also, are there any deals of any sort ever? It seems I can't locate anything but the standard price with no discounts of any sort...

 

Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

 

(We're trying to go in August, so fast approaching.)

[Va. Plumber]

Don't look to see many price reductions for this trip. August is peak season for Bermuda. Sailed last October and got great deal on SJ suite, but that was at end of season.

 

Love the Dawn (3 times). Not crowded. I like the food.

 

They have kid's club and teen club activities. NCL does a good job with this.

[MrsT3030]

We did this exact cruise for our honeymoon 4 years ago. It was wonderful. Loved the ship, the food as being docked in Bermuda for 3 days able to come and go as we pleased. I would highly recommend it.

[Fremont]

We have done the Boston to Bermuda cruise many times! Be back on in 4 weeks. The food is great. We eat in the dining room a lot and have no complaints about the food. If you get something and don't like it don't eat it you can order something else or go grab something at another place.

 

The kids will have a blast have them go to the kids club and try it out. Most kids love it some don't and would prefer being with their parents.

 

The shows are great! Bermuda is beautiful! You can buy bus passes on board the Dawn so no need to stand in long line's to get passes off the boat. The bus pass includes the Ferry. You can get to most places on the bus.

 

It is nice being close and being able to drive to the port. Parking is very easy I think we payed around 140.00 for the week.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Fremont

[gcdogwalker]

We love the Dawn and go to Bermuda every year. The ship is beautiful and the food and the entertainment good. You won't find a prettier island then Bermuda. It's very clean, nice friendly people and beautiful beaches. Have fun!

[Laszlo]

Here's a more than full review of the ship and Bermuda

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2221726

[Paphillyguy]

We just did this cruise in May, the one that crashed into the reef. Here are my thoughts. The ship was pretty good. I think it is in need of a refurbish and will be getting one next year. The rooms are decent but are showing wear. We had stained carpet and a broken balcony door that made it near impossible to close unless you were superman. The shows to me were decent but nothing special, with the exception of Second City which I loved. The entertainment elsewhere was pretty basic. I do not have kids so I can not speak to that.

 

The food was good but nothing spectacular.

 

The cruise prior to this was the Breakaway and I have decided that type of ship is more what I like.

 

That being said, we had a great time and I love Bermuda.

[meglet]

This July will be my 4th Bermuda sailing on Dawn. It's a great vacation, but that being said, it's not Celebrity or the QE2 - it's not glossy or elegant. But I don't think you can beat the value in a suite with all the perks. Is there any way your parents and you and your two children could do a two bedroom suite or would anyone be happy sleeping on a pull out couch in the family suite category rooms?

 

I have to disagree with the poster who said that it's not crowded. Maybe in October it's not, but in the summer it is. I can only travel in the summer and my goal is peace and quiet. You're not going to find that around the pool, so that's why I thought your own big suite balcony would be perfect. 'Cause if the momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, and it's your vacation too. Adults are the ones who constantly deal with work and stress and being torn in too many directions.

 

The food in my opinion ranges from adequate to good. Adequate in the main dining rooms, although service is slow, to good in the pay restaurants, although service again, can be slow. I try to avoid the buffet at all costs. I'm not into the crowds and the crazy and the lines. If you stay in a suite, you may go to Cagney's for breakfast and lunch.

 

I enjoyed all the nightly entertainment last year - the 70's disco show, the aerialists, the comic. 2nd City was an absolute repeat from the years previous.

 

Let us know if you have any more specific questions or what your vacation preferences are and we'll all chime right in to help out!

[dexddd]

See this thread on some info re kids:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2217056

[DaisyGoldberg]

Definitely check out suite prices on the Dawn, especially if there's a third/fourth person cruises free promotion.

 

The SJ suites are a good value (no balconies) -- if you could snag two of those (at least one with the Murphy bed) an adult can sleep very comfortably on that, and the kids can sleep on the sofa. You could trade the children back and forth so that each group of adults gets a little extra room on different nights.

 

The King bed is also pretty darned big -- if you and your sister wanted to share that, the kids could each have a bed (one in the Murphy, one in the sofa).

 

Or you could have a kid in bed with you.

[jimswims]

We have done the Boston to Bermuda cruise on different NCL ships several times (Majesty, Spirit, Dawn). We have also cruised out of NYC to Bermuda and other ports several times as well. We almost always cruise at the end of July to mid-August. This is a busy time to cruise out of Boston and out of NYC. There are lots of families on board. This is the time when ships tend to fill up. Also, it does become harder to book cabins that have more that 2 due to the ship filling up. We have 2 kids who are now 20 and 17 and they love to cruise.

 

We usually cruise in a suite but have been in ocean view and insides as well. The extra space is worth it to us these days.

 

We always find something to do on the ship and enjoy our meals. Some meals are much better than others and we certainly have never had any trouble finding something to eat. We like to dine in the specialty restaurants. I do have one rule when it comes to dining, I never order steak in the main dining rooms. I have enjoyed the steaks in the specialty restaurants better. You state that you are picky about dining. I am not sure what that means exactly so I am not able to confidently state if you will enjoy the food or not. I know that we have dined in many types of restaurants on land and sea and have never starved, lol!

 

Bermuda is a great place to visit and having more then one day to explore makes this ideal.

 

The Dawn is an older ship. It does not have all the bells and whistles that the Breakaway does. Both ships have kids programs and kid areas. There are plenty of things to do and if your kids are not looking for ice skating rinks, ropes courses, water slides, and other flashy things like this found on other ships/cruise lines then they should be just fine.

 

Enjoy your research and planning.

Edited June 19, 2015 by jimswims

[shelly11]

I have a review in my signature. I enjoyed the DAWN.

[MAMATAMA]

I agree with the suite idea for you, if you want some privacy its the way to go. Theres always things to do on the cruise and its amazing….We have been several times and its our favorite….

 

Yes its crowded but you can always find lisle nooks and carneys that are quite and peaceful

 

Hope to see you in aug

[cynbar]

As mentioned above, you also may want to look at the Breakaway, since you live in CT the distance may not be much more. Breakaway is a newer ship with lots of options --- more restaurants, more entertainment, bigger and better kids centers, and so on. Dawn is an older ship, a little shabby by many reports, not as much to do. Both offer about the same amount of time in Bermuda. Look at both ships, talk it over with your traveling companions and then decide.

[beautifullady]

Im from conn(middletown)too! Where in conn r u from?

[beautifullady]

We are looking to book our first ever cruise. Group traveling will need 3 cabins (1 for my mom and dad, 1 for my sister and 1 for my 2 kids (9 and 13) and me).

Everyone wants to travel from Boston since we live in CT so it seems easy. I also like the idea that the Dawn goes from Boston to Bermuda and stays there for a few days. Seems more fun and gives more opportunity to explore more of the area as opposed to new stops every day but only being there for 8 hours or whatnot.

 

I'm looking for feedback on this ship. How is the food? We are sort of picky when it comes to quality.

Is there a lot to do on the ship, specifically for the ages of my kids (9 and 13).

Also, are there any deals of any sort ever? It seems I can't locate anything but the standard price with no discounts of any sort...

 

Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

 

(We're trying to go in August, so fast approaching.)

Im from conn(middletown)oo! Where in conn ru from?

[margie1221]

As mentioned above, you also may want to look at the Breakaway, since you live in CT the distance may not be much more. Breakaway is a newer ship with lots of options --- more restaurants, more entertainment, bigger and better kids centers, and so on. Dawn is an older ship, a little shabby by many reports, not as much to do. Both offer about the same amount of time in Bermuda. Look at both ships, talk it over with your traveling companions and then decide.

 

This advice is almost exactly what I planned to post!!

 

We loved the Dawn to Bermuda last May - so easy to leave from Boston... fun ship, great crew, good food - had a blast with 11 other couples ranging in age from 50-something to 80-something. Not many families since school was still in session. The Bermuda itinerary is awesome.

 

Also LOVED the Breakaway for New Year's Eve the year before to FLA & the Bahamas... great new ship, had a blast on all the water slides & ropes course - won in the casino, danced the night away and had fireworks on top of all that!! Our 20-something son was with us and also had a great time.

 

To me the best of both worlds would be a cruise to Bermuda on the Breakaway leaving out of Boston - ha ha!! But seriously, for a summer cruise with kids I would do the Breakaway... the suites are a little pricey so maybe do a balcony or oceanview, with an inside room across the hall or something like that... Dawn will be less money and less crowded - with a super convenient port - but maybe a little less exciting than the Breakaway. It's a tough decision - either way you're on an NCL cruise to Bermuda - woo hoo!!

 

Be sure to post what you end up booking :)

[zqvol]

We are looking to book our first ever cruise. Group traveling will need 3 cabins (1 for my mom and dad, 1 for my sister and 1 for my 2 kids (9 and 13) and me).

Everyone wants to travel from Boston since we live in CT so it seems easy. I also like the idea that the Dawn goes from Boston to Bermuda and stays there for a few days. Seems more fun and gives more opportunity to explore more of the area as opposed to new stops every day but only being there for 8 hours or whatnot.

 

I'm looking for feedback on this ship. How is the food? We are sort of picky when it comes to quality.

Is there a lot to do on the ship, specifically for the ages of my kids (9 and 13).

Also, are there any deals of any sort ever? It seems I can't locate anything but the standard price with no discounts of any sort...

 

Any feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

 

(We're trying to go in August, so fast approaching.)

 

Suggest that you book one of your kids with your sister, so that there are 2 in each cabin. Total cost will be less that way.

 

BTW have been on Dawn a number of times. It is a nice ship. There should be plenty for everyone to do.

Edited June 20, 2015 by zqvol

[zqvol]

As mentioned above, you also may want to look at the Breakaway, since you live in CT the distance may not be much more. Breakaway is a newer ship with lots of options --- more restaurants, more entertainment, bigger and better kids centers, and so on. Dawn is an older ship, a little shabby by many reports, not as much to do. Both offer about the same amount of time in Bermuda. Look at both ships, talk it over with your traveling companions and then decide.

 

 

Unless Dawn has gotten shabby in the past 90 days those reports are inaccurate. IMO the Dawn is a much better choice. The Breakaway is simply too big, and for a port intensive vacation like Bremuda is way over the top about what you need.

 

IMO smaller ships are always better.