Honest Opinions of the Dawn Wanted

[kcwiak]

Can any recent cruisers tell me what they loved and/or hated about the Dawn? Is it really old, dirty and outdated or have they kept it up nicely?

 

Is it going to dry dock in the Spring? If so, does anyone know specifically what they will be doing?

 

TIA

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

Which other NCL ships are you already familiar with, for comparison? The Dawn is in good shape, and certainly not "dirty". But if you are used to brand new ships, it may not be up to your standards.

 

Someone just started a thread about the upcoming dry dock yesterday:

Dawn Dry Dock?

 

NCL does not yet have confirmation of this on their website, but her sister ship, the Star, is one year older and was refurbished earlier this year. I assume they will be doing the same sort of work on the Dawn next year. You can search for reviews of the Star post-dry dock here on CC, and read about the general ship refurbishment program on NCL's site: Norwegian Next.

[kcwiak]

Which other NCL ships are you already familiar with, for comparison? The Dawn is in good shape, and certainly not "dirty". But if you are used to brand new ships, it may not be up to your standards.

 

Someone just started a thread about the upcoming dry dock yesterday:

Dawn Dry Dock?

 

NCL does not yet have confirmation of this on their website, but her sister ship, the Star, is one year older and was refurbished earlier this year. I assume they will be doing the same sort of work on the Dawn next year. You can search for reviews of the Star post-dry dock here on CC, and read about the general ship refurbishment program on NCL's site: Norwegian Next.

We have been on the Jewel. Loved it. Not sure of the age difference. I can say that I did a CCL on Ecstacy and so many people complained about how small and old it was but it seemed fine to me.

 

I just get a weird mixed feeling about the Dawn. Not sure why.

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

Will you be sailing on the Dawn before or after the dry dock?

 

The Dawn and the Jewel are pretty much the same size (larger than Carnival Ecstasy) and have a pretty similar layout. The spa and the Spinnaker Lounge are nicer (much nicer) on the Jewel. But in terms of cleanliness and maintenance, they are both in good shape (after all the Dawn is only 3 years older than the Jewel).

[SwissLe]

She was only launched in 2002 and underwent a significant refit in 2011. I don't think she can be described as 'old' yet! Royal Caribbean are running ships from 1992 and people love them.

 

NCL are good at keeping ships, as our most Western lines, looking great.

[Barb Nahoumi]

We were on the Dawn in June, Boston to Bermuda. The only fault that I found, was some stalls in public ladies rooms were out of order. Other than that, the ship was very clean, food and service was good, and entertainment was enj oyable.

 

The shows in the Stardust Theater were the standard singing, dancing and some "Big Band"

numbers. I skipped the Second City in favor of watching Patti & Jose in the Atrium or the piano player in another lounge. These were outstanding.

 

Food in the MDRs, and Buffet was very good. The four of us (two couples) saw no reason to go to the Specialties.

 

Our cabins were standard balconies on deck 9, and were well tended by Roberto. He did a fantastic job, taking care of everything we asked for.

 

Would we book this ship again?--------Yes. I can't see any reason to travel to New York for the Breakaway, when the Dawn is right here in our "back yard."

[LISRAREF]

We were on it in January and had a wonderful

Time. The ship is in great shape and well kept. Staff are continuously cleaning and doing maintenance. If you really look I'm sure you will find little things here or there but it's normal wear and tear items. Just enjoy your trip and not worry about meaningless stuff.

[Barb Nahoumi]

One thing that I forgot to mention above------Lots of new carpeting through out the ship.

[antsnanny]

Will you be sailing on the Dawn before or after the dry dock?

 

The Dawn and the Jewel are pretty much the same size (larger than Carnival Ecstasy) and have a pretty similar layout. The spa and the Spinnaker Lounge are nicer (much nicer) on the Jewel. But in terms of cleanliness and maintenance, they are both in good shape (after all the Dawn is only 3 years older than the Jewel).

 

The Jewel is much larger than the Dawn.

[johnlatte]

We sailed on the Dawn in June. It was far from dirty, we saw crew daily painting, varnishing and repairing the ship. There were a couple of restrooms in the public spaces that were always out of order and I know of at least one that overflowed out into the hallway near the theatre. I know that some of the ladies room's stalls showed rust and broken parts. Other than that, I didn't see anything at all that would cause a concern. My biggest complaint about the Dawn was the out of control smoking. It was bad. Both sides of the pool and all of the terrace area up to the Bimini. We had a suite on Deck 12 and you could smell it all the way back to our suite. Looking past that, though the ship is fine and very comfortable. The crew did seem a bit overworked and I connect that to the UDP and UBP so hopefully they get a break soon. You'll have a good time on the Dawn. Don't worry at all.

[newmexicoNita]

Can any recent cruisers tell me what they loved and/or hated about the Dawn? Is it really old, dirty and outdated or have they kept it up nicely?

 

Is it going to dry dock in the Spring? If so, does anyone know specifically what they will be doing?

 

TIA

 

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Most of us would have no clue what they will do in dry dock. Usually they check the mechanics of the ship and do updates where needed, which chould be as simple as a really deep cleaning to all new carpets and beds or even more. NCL does a great job,in my opinion keeping their ships in tip top condition, but remember you can't make an old ship a new one. You can keep the old ships charm while adding modern amenities.

 

I don't know where you are getting the idea it is dirty, older yes: even then not old in the lifetime of ships. We were on her about a year ago and did not find her dirty at all. The only thing we didn't like was trying to find our way around. We were on an 11 or 12 day cruise and never learned which way to go in some situations. Was she our favorite NCL ship? Nope, though she is the favorite of many. Would we sail her again? You bet, if the itenerary was what we wanted.

[CTGen04]

We were on the Dawn at the end of June and had a fabulous time. Ship was definitely clean and we didn't see any issues with plumbing. Staff was hard-working but very friendly. Bermuda was awesome -- loved being there for 3 days -- so much to see and do! We'd absolutely sail the Dawn again in a heartbeat!

[hawkeyetlse]

The Jewel is much larger than the Dawn.

What do you consider much larger? It's only 1.5% larger, exactly the same length, and actually much narrower.

 

• Jewel: 93,502 tons, 965 feet long, max width 105 ft, 2376 pax/1100 crew
  
• Dawn: 92,250 tons, 965 feet long, max width 125 ft, 2340 pax/1032 crew
  

The Jewel does have 15 decks compared to the Dawn's 14, but Deck 15 is only sundecks.

Edited August 3, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[phoenix1181]

We were on the Dawn for the 4th consecutive year last month & had no complaints. The crew is great & the ship is in good shape. I encountered only one ladies room with a stall out of service. (not sure if previous out of service facilities were repaired or if I just didn't encounter them)

 

Food was good in the dining rooms, buffet, Blue Lagoon, Cagney's & LaCucina. We were disappointed that we couldn't get reservations @ LeBistro that worked time wise for us but that was the chance we took by waiting too long to decide what we wanted to do.

 

No idea what they're doing to her in dry dock but I know we'll cruise on her again without a thought to her age...........

[FuninWB]

We have been on the Dawn seven times, most recently in May. There were a couple of bathrooms closed for repair, but overall, the ship was in great shape. I like the new carpeting , and someone was always painting. cleaning or polishing. The staff was very responsive and friendly, the food was delicious, and we were made to feel as if we were valued guests. We were on the cruise that went aground near Bermuda. Everything was handled quickly and professionally, and we were informed at all times about our status. We are sailing on the repositioning in October. Needless to say, we don't feel you have to be concerned about this ship. It will be even better after its overhaul next May.

[kcwiak]

Will you be sailing on the Dawn before or after the dry dock?

 

The Dawn and the Jewel are pretty much the same size (larger than Carnival Ecstasy) and have a pretty similar layout. The spa and the Spinnaker Lounge are nicer (much nicer) on the Jewel. But in terms of cleanliness and maintenance, they are both in good shape (after all the Dawn is only 3 years older than the Jewel).

Actually after but I am not up on things like what happens in dry dock. I looked at what you suggested but as you said, just an overview. I know the cabin we have (SJ) has had issues with the windows. I know I will be pretty darn mad if they are not clear since we have no balcony.

 

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[kcwiak]

We sailed on the Dawn in June. It was far from dirty, we saw crew daily painting, varnishing and repairing the ship. There were a couple of restrooms in the public spaces that were always out of order and I know of at least one that overflowed out into the hallway near the theatre. I know that some of the ladies room's stalls showed rust and broken parts. Other than that, I didn't see anything at all that would cause a concern. My biggest complaint about the Dawn was the out of control smoking. It was bad. Both sides of the pool and all of the terrace area up to the Bimini. We had a suite on Deck 12 and you could smell it all the way back to our suite. Looking past that, though the ship is fine and very comfortable. The crew did seem a bit overworked and I connect that to the UDP and UBP so hopefully they get a break soon. You'll have a good time on the Dawn. Don't worry at all.

Smoking is still allowed in many areas??

 

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[kcwiak]

Thank you all for your feedback! Much appreciated!

 

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[BeachMartini]

We loved it! We did trip #3 in June. It's kept up just fine. At no point did we feel like it was dirty or outdated.

 

We were surprised by how good the MDR food was. Service could be slow at times, but certainly not worthy of ruining the trip. We love the crew on this ship.

 

Dawn will be undergoing a $60 million dollar refurb before next year's Bermuda runs begin.

[gail-s]

My biggest complaint about the Dawn was the out of control smoking. It was bad. Both sides of the pool and all of the terrace area up to the Bimini. We had a suite on Deck 12 and you could smell it all the way back to our suite.

 

We were just on the Dawn 7/3 with a suite on Deck 12 too, so we walked by the pool often. No one was allowed to smoke up there. The only areas we saw people smoking was in the Cigar room and on the Promenade Deck in the designated areas. I can't even remember if they were smoking in the Casino, but honestly, we didn't spend much time there.

 

The Dawn is not a huge mega-ship but she's good. Always clean and the staff is very friendly. My daughter kept saying how much she loved the ship and the workers. (she's 13) We had to agree. I'm sure they'll fix the bathroom issues if not before May then in May 2016. We've re-booked the same room for next July and we're convincing the other side of the family to come with us this time. Can't wait!

[Smellytoes]

I'm on the ship right now. It's very clean, staff has been excellent but service has been painfully slow in all the bars and restaurants.

[BayouDoc]

I was on the Dawn for a CTN last year. I have also been on the Jewel. They are more similar than different. The Dawn has a much prettier, open atrium. It also has a very nice area on the stern on deck 13 with a T-Rex small kids pool area. The spinnaker lounge on the Dawn was moved from the front of the ship (I think it must have been in 2011) and in its place on deck 12 forward, there are now some very nice suites with beautiful views. Unfortunately, the new location of the spinnaker is now on a lower deck in the back with no windows and is not nearly as nice as the Spinnaker on the Jewel. The location of LeBistro restaurant on the Dawn is a bit smaller and not as plush as it is on the Jewel. The Italian restaurant on the Dawn is physically in terms of atmosphere and furnishings much like the LeBistro on the Jewel. The food was very much the same on the two ships except that the Jewel has an O'Sheehan's on deck 8 which has a little different menu than the Blue Lagoon on the Dawn. There is also an ice cream bar on the pool deck of the Dawn but not the Jewel. The pool decks on the two ships are different too. The jewel has two pools on the pool deck while the Dawn has one somewhat larger pool. The Jewel has more hot tubs on the pool deck than the Dawn but the Dawn has a nice hot tub all the way forward on the sundeck of deck 13 and another with the T-Rex pool area in the stern. The Jewel has a very nice outdoor eating area and bar on the stern called "The Great Outdoors." This isn't found on the Dawn. I haven't toured either spa or exercise area but I understand that these areas are also different and perhaps nicer on the Jewel than the Dawn. And of course, the Jewel has a haven area for haven suite guests only and the Dawn does not. You can find many threads on the Haven experience on CC. Hope this helps! I like both ships but if I had my choice (and adequate funds) I would sail either the haven on the Jewel or the Garden Villa on the Dawn.

[Tangocherie]

My main concerns with the Dawn are:

 

1. The absence of a higher deck forward lounge with large windows offering a great ocean view such as the Spinnaker Lounge on the Jewel.

 

2. There is no aft open air bar on a higher deck such as The Great Outdoors on Jewel. Too bad 'cause it's so nice to have a drink on a nice warm weather late afternoon, while watching the wake and the sunset.:(

[Cruzn Bills Fan]

Dawn is our favorite ship. The main reason is the pool deck which has "stadium seating". Great for sea days! BTW why would you think it was dirty??

Edited August 4, 2015 by Batman's Skivvies

[bonvoyagie]

I have yet to be on the Dawn - sailing her in a little over a year. I have been on the Pearl, POA, and Sky (pre HI makeover).

 

IMHO NCL keeps up on the maintenance of their ships period. Every cruise I have been on the crew is constantly scraping, painting, varnishing etc. They have to as the salt water and air tend to corrode most everything in sight.

 

Plumbing issues can show up any time and on any ship - and are usually caused by someone putting something into the system that does not belong.

 

The Dawn was the beginning of the Jewel class ships, some changes were made on the Jewel class to add features like the great outdoors café etc.-She was also where the Garden Villa concept of a multi bedroom suite on the top of the ship began. She still has the largest ones in the fleet. The Haven sprang out of this initial concept.

 

The Dawn was renovated in 2011 to add more suites and cabins in and around where the Spinnaker lounge was located as well as the deck below. The idea of these suites was to provide more family style suites which she lacked. It was a way to add haven-like suites without the Haven.

 

Her next dry-dock will be in the spring of 2016. I suspect that the NCL Next program will be implemented on her - adding to the electronics - perhaps new TVs, and better internet - or at least bringing the computer system up to date to match the other ships in the fleet. There will aslo be changes to the Blue Lagoon - if nothing else a name change to O"Sheehans and since it is next door to the Moderno they will move the Moderno to somewhere near Cagneys -like replacing the Star Bar. This is all based on recent dry dockings and what the overall direction of the NEXT program. The dry-dock will last about 3 wks in Nassau - and will occur at the end of her Caribbean cruises out of NOLA and before the Boston to Bermuda runs begin - there will be no repo cruises next spring.