Dawn Disappointment

[soxfan2013]

Is there no more Brazilian steak house?

[SoBe2010]

Thanks for your review.

Did they refurbish staterooms and bathrooms?

Could not find any post dry dock pictures yet.

[biker@sea]

As I said previously, she's shiny & new looking but there are still maintenance issues.

 

There are still 2 sides to the buffet and no Mexican restaurant yet. My understanding is that it's going to be in the small area in the back that was utilized mostly by staff.

 

I didn't notice that the beds were any higher than they had been but it's possible.

 

Oh No! that area " Portside aft. " had the last one of the old style coffee machines " the best coffee".

 

The other 3 area's have updated machines already. :(

 

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Edited June 25, 2016 by biker@sea

[hawkeyetlse]

I didn't expect to have to call maintenance for the same problem, in the same cabin as last year, on day one.......... multiple times & then again several more times on multiple days.

What was that issue? You didn't mention your cabin at all in your initial review, but it sounds like whatever it was must have been a real problem if you had to call so many times.

[fshagan]

 

The a la carte pricing in the pay restaurants is just awful! Four of us ate in Cagney's and our check was $169!! We each had an appetizer, main course and dessert. Nothing excessive and no wine or alcohol because we all had the UBP. The pricing is comparable to many of the nicer restaurants north of Boston and that surprised me. I expected to pay but for some reason thought the prices would be a little lower than they were.

 

Wow! And I thought Cagney's was overpriced at the old $30 per person cover charge. I always add about $10 to the price for the missed MDR meal value. More than $42 each for ungraded beef is a bit much.

[limeyalchemist]

Strange fact. But on the new Dawn, only half of the wash basins were working in the public area bathrooms. This was the case ship wide! No idea why, unless rushed or saving water.

 

 

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[limeyalchemist]

We had an overflowing toilet in my mom's handicapped cabin on deck 8. Fortunately it all drained. But took ships plumber two visits to replace the part that had malfunctioned. Completed in about 90 mins. And floor was cleaned. Very responsive service.

 

 

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[SoBe2010]

Wow! And I thought Cagney's was overpriced at the old $30 per person cover charge. I always add about $10 to the price for the missed MDR meal value. More than $42 each for ungraded beef is a bit much.

 

It certainly more than upgraded beef. I agree, that I am paying more for ambience and attentive service as well. But I ageee, the upcharges are far to high nowadays.

[soxfan2013]

Wow! And I thought Cagney's was overpriced at the old $30 per person cover charge. I always add about $10 to the price for the missed MDR meal value. More than $42 each for ungraded beef is a bit much.

 

From my perspective you should subtract from the market price of a specialty restaurant for the fact that you have purchased a dinner as part of your cruise in the MDR or otherwise which you are not consuming.

 

To me, $25-30 is fine for such a charge, but the food should be really good. I am disappointed that the cost now does not included unlimited entrees (although I guess it still includes unlimited apps and deserts)...as we used to like to try multiple items.

 

But someone said Moderna has been closed but it's showing on Deck 13 on the ship's website?

Edited June 25, 2016 by soxfan2013

[Love my butler]

From my perspective you should subtract from the market price of a specialty restaurant for the fact that you have purchased a dinner as part of your cruise in the MDR or otherwise which you are not consuming.

 

To me, $25-30 is fine for such a charge, but the food should be really good. I am disappointed that the cost now does not included unlimited entrees (although I guess it still includes unlimited apps and deserts)...as we used to like to try multiple items.

 

But someone said Moderna has been closed but it's showing on Deck 13 on the ship's website?

 

Moderno moved, not closed.

[phoenix1181]

Thanks for your review.

Did they refurbish staterooms and bathrooms?

Could not find any post dry dock pictures yet.

 

The staterooms have new bedding, curtains & pictures & stools. The pull outs were re-done. The bathrooms didn't change. the public bathrooms got new sinks & countertops & air dryers for your hands. Then they loaded the papertowel holders & put a very small waste basket at the door. There was more paper on the floor than in the can.........

[phoenix1181]

Is there no more Brazilian steak house?

 

Brazilian Steak house is Moderno. It's on 13 where the Star Bar used to be. It's also where the Mojito bar is &, as I understand it, it's being used for breakfast & lunch for suite guests instead of Cagneys.

[phoenix1181]

What was that issue? You didn't mention your cabin at all in your initial review, but it sounds like whatever it was must have been a real problem if you had to call so many times.

 

The toilet wouldn't flush. By the end of the week, we were on a first name basis with the guys who come to fix it. On day one I told hubby I didn't like the way it sounded. I didn't keep track of how many times I called but I clearly remember calling 3 times beginning @ 2:30 am on night one & going from there. They came & "fixed" it after each call but whatever the problem is, I don't think it's going away. Grand-daughter was in the same cabin last July & had the same issue on multiple occasions.

[phoenix1181]

Wow! And I thought Cagney's was overpriced at the old $30 per person cover charge. I always add about $10 to the price for the missed MDR meal value. More than $42 each for ungraded beef is a bit much.

 

Sorry to mislead you. That included the 18% service charge but it was still way too high!

[dem1958]

I don't think being the first cruise out of drydock had much to do with the issues. It could be the reason for the staffing problems but it certainly isn't the reason for the maintenance issues.

 

The a la carte pricing in the pay restaurants is just awful! Four of us ate in Cagney's and our check was $169!! We each had an appetizer, main course and dessert. Nothing excessive and no wine or alcohol because we all had the UBP. The pricing is comparable to many of the nicer restaurants north of Boston and that surprised me. I expected to pay but for some reason thought the prices would be a little lower than they were.

 

We also ate in LeBistro but it was part of the Anniversary package so there was no check involved.

 

 

 

We enjoyed both but for the price, I rather spend the money locally.

 

I'm confused, I thought the restaurants were a flat fee per restaurant. We bought the unlimited dining package which means we can go to any of those restaurants every day of the week if we want to. I sure hope this means that it's not going to cost us anything extra

[phoenix1181]

I'm confused, I thought the restaurants were a flat fee per restaurant. We bought the unlimited dining package which means we can go to any of those restaurants every day of the week if we want to. I sure hope this means that it's not going to cost us anything extra

 

We didn't have a dining package so I can't help. Our dinner in LeBistro was covered by the Anniversary package. There were no up charges on the menu & no bill. Just apps, main course & dessert for each of us. No extra items requested.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for your thoughts. The Dawn is on our list, being based in Beantown and we hope to sail on her some time.

[phoenix1181]

Thanks for your thoughts. The Dawn is on our list, being based in Beantown and we hope to sail on her some time.

 

You won't regret cruising on her. She's got a great crew & leaving from Boston is very convenient for those of us in the northeast.

[FreestyleNovice]

The few pics I have seen after drydock make the Dawn more appealing to me than any other older ship in the fleet.

 

But I might have seen too much the same old stateroom picture with the bright colors and old tube tv that goes with every older ship's pictures. :D

[sparks1093]

You won't regret cruising on her. She's got a great crew & leaving from Boston is very convenient for those of us in the northeast.

 

I priced a cruise on her for September of next year just for grins and $2700 for an ocean view probably won't entice us to book anytime soon (and of course we already have a cruise booked for next year). We'll see how it goes.

[punkincc]

I'm confused, I thought the restaurants were a flat fee per restaurant. We bought the unlimited dining package which means we can go to any of those restaurants every day of the week if we want to. I sure hope this means that it's not going to cost us anything extra

 

The only two specialty restaurants with flat cover fees these days are Moderno, the Brazillian Steak House, and Teppanyaki. The others are a la carte unless you have a dining package. How long ago did you buy the dining package? You need to find out whether you have the newer version, the SDP, which can be purchased for 3 to 7 nights, or the old one, the UDP. The UDP covers 7 days and is unlimited in the number of visits. Otherwise they work the same. Only the Epic and newer ships have any sort of upcharges at some of the restaurants. Regardless of which you have, it should cost you nothing extra unless you order a second main entree and it does not matter whether it is a cover charge place or an a la carte.

 

Since the cost of the package averages out to about $23 a night, depending on the number of nights purchased, it is well worth buying a package to cover the number of nights you think you'll dine in specialties, as phoenix discovered.

[punkincc]

I priced a cruise on her for September of next year just for grins and $2700 for an ocean view probably won't entice us to book anytime soon (and of course we already have a cruise booked for next year). We'll see how it goes.

 

The ocean views seem to be quite pricey these days. We booked the Dawn in April for Fall 2017, and got an inside priced in the $800s which even included the UBP. We considered booking the ocean view instead, as it came with the SDP as well, but for the huge price difference, we decided to keep the inside and just buy a dining package. We could do that and have considerable money leftover.

[leekel619]

Thanks for your review…. I love the Dawn its a beautiful ship… we enjoy it and can not wait to see her changes.

 

 

 

Question about the ex restaurant. Web site says its there…. any idea where its going to be?

 

 

 

The Mexican restaurant (Los Lobos?) is right beside the entrance to the buffet when you come up the aft elevator or stairs. In the past both entrances were for the Garden Cafe. Now only one. The fitness/spa is opposite.

 

They said it opens July 1. A la carte. It looks fancy. [emoji383]I got a peek when a chef was coming out.

[leekel619]

OP: Thanks for posting your thoughts on the Dawn; hopefully the staff will get up to speed quickly.

 

 

 

Do you recall what day and time the Platinum Latitude party was?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

Tuesday at 2.

[phoenix1181]

Tuesday at 2.

 

Tuesday at 2 isn't right. We were invited to two, one was at 2:00 & the other at 6:00. They weren't on the same day. We only went to the one @ 2:00 & I'm sure it wasn't on Tuesday because that's the day we went to Swizzle Inn for lunch. We took a taxi & arranged for the driver to pick us up @ 2:30 for the return to the ship.

 

I think it was Monday @ 2:00 and the other was Tuesday @ 6:00