NCL Dawn 3/12-3/19 Review- Dolphins, Zipline, Villas...oh my!

[Kristi Barber]

Day 7: Sea Day

We slept in and then went for a late breakfast at O'She again. It was quiet and seemed alot of people slept in. :)

 

Son was a little foggy about the details from leaving Maya Chan to breakfast the next morning. Says he's never drinking tequila again and popped a few advil! LOL

 

It was $10 sale by gift shop day so we went to check it out. Lots of watches, costume jewelry, purses, scarfs, and assorted T-shirts. We didn't see anything we needed but did grab some things in the liquor store. It is 10% off day on 1st and last day I think. Most things are 2 for $35 (Crown, Jack, Vodka, etc...) Ciroc was 2 for $48. Cigarettes are $25-40 a carton depending on brand. White Hennessy is $58. Customs limits are 1 carton per person, 1 liter alcohol per person duty free BTW.

 

It had been pretty windy the night before (ship was a rockin all night) but had calmed down significantly and looked to be a great day so we all headed to the pool for some sun soaking. Found a couple of loungers near the pool and settled in to listen to music and relax. Ended up soaking up the sun for a few hours and grabbing a hotdog and fries at the pool buffet. The college crew was pretty mellow as I think the week was catching up with them! DH went to room for a nap about 2, son to play basketball, and I stayed soaking up the sun for about an hour more then went to nap also.

 

We had our last specialty dinner reservations for 5:30 at Le Bistro. So we got ready for dinner after napping and headed to dinner. Le Bistro has the strictest dress code but basically it is collared shirt and long pants/jeans for guys and dress casual for women.

[Kristi Barber]

Le Bistro:

 

DH: Onion Soup, Escargots, Split the Pour Deux (32 oz angus rib eye) with me (not really what I wanted but he is picky and only saw steak as his option and they serve it as a 2 person meal and said he couldn't order with specialty dining just himself). DH was not happy about that since Cagney's has 32oz selections for 1 with no problem. So I split with him and then stole a scallop or two from my son which is what I really wanted. LOL

Me: Mushroom soup, Escargots, Pour Deux split

Son: Onion soup, seared scallops, Lobster/Shrimp/Scallop Pastry

 

Desserts: Vanilla Brûlée, Chocolate Napoleon

 

Everything was fantastic!

[schoolmarm4]

Day 4: Roatan, Honduras

Roatan is a late port in so we took advantage and slept in a bit. We had a FULL day planned. I had booked, Tex, through Victor Bodden tours online to be our private driver for the day. We wanted freedom to do/see what we wanted on our own time and not be restricted by a "tour" schedule. SO GLAD we did. Tex was wonderful and went above and beyond to make sure we got our list checked off during the day and even pulled some "local" connections to make a few things happen to get everything on our list accomplished. Tex came recommended by several reviews I had read on CC and tripadvisor. Our day included: Scenic views of Roatan, zipline, monkeys, rum cake factory, cigar/rum shopping, authentic honduran lunch, and snorkeling. Yep... Tex made it all happen!

 

 

Headed to room after breakfast to pack backpacks for the day. Grabbed the extra backpack I had made for Tex and his family. Victor said Tex had 2 young boys and I had read how extremely poor the country was so I packed up some "gifts" for him like school supplies, a set of clothes for boys, and a few small toys for his boys and a couple of other items.

Down to 4 to get off ship.

What a really nice and thoughtful thing for you to do. Would not have occurred to most people.

[Kristi Barber]

After dinner we went to room and started the packing up process so we wouldn't have anything looming later in the evening. We were doing Easy Walk-off so no need to get luggage tags or sit luggage out for pick up.

 

We got everything packed up except our sleep PJ's, and clothes for next morning and needed toiletries.

 

Extra Things we were glad we brought: magnets for hanging schedules on door, extra outlet converter/extra USB port for charging, thermal cups, lanyards for ship cards, backpacks, Bonine and Poo-Potpourri . Other than that just needed the basics we would take on any vacation plus a little extra room to bring back our purchases. :)

 

After packing, we all went to casino to use up our free play credit. Son and I grabbed a black jack seat. Blackjack was good and we played for a couple of hours again doubling our buy-in. Casino was crowded before the SoulDuo Show but thinned out a little during show.

 

DH actually won a little in slots $178. Kept him busy for a couple hours while son and I played BJ.

I remembered I had 2 of those bottle chips from quarter slide game win earlier in week. I was NOT interested in those bottles so I found some people to give them to.

 

DH and I ended up paying that silly quarter slide game again for about an hour trying to win the clips of money until about 10. Knew having an 8 hour drive tomorrow back to Dallas area would make for a long day we decided to grab a final drink and go enjoy the balcony in room one last time. Son stayed and played BJ and visited with the friends he had met throughout the week.

 

Sadness....only a few hours left of cruise!

Edited March 25, 2017 by Kristi Barber

[Kristi Barber]

Not sure when son rolled in but he was present by 6:00 when we woke up to get ready to disembark. We were making our final approach to port in New Orleans. DH and I got ready, went down to guest services to settle up OBC and get back our cash credit. (Since parasail credit was put on we got $559 back out of $600...not bad for the week! And I had the 2 CruiseNext Certificates that had cost me $250. DH and I went to buffet for breakfast. Son asked for us to bring him a plate back while he got ready.

 

By 7:30 we were packed up and ready to go. We headed down to Bliss area where you line up to disembark. Line was back past photo gallery but once we started moving a little before 8 we were off boat by 8:15.

Took about 15 minutes to get through customs. A breeze at customs (form filled out night before), showed passports, form, answered a couple of questions about any fruit, animals, extra liquor and off we went. No bag checked, no delay...easy. Walked through terminal to were shuttle to Fulton garage was picking up. Loaded up, shuttle to to Fulton, got car and it road at 8:50.

 

We had an amazing week and LOVED the DAWN and our ports! Can't wait until our next cruise trip...Alaska 2018!

 

That is unless I decide to use that other CruiseNext cert before then on another tropical trip!

 

Peace and Blessings from The Barber's!

 

[lizzy310]

We are going on our first cruise on Apr 23rd out of New Orleans. Thank you for such detailed reporting. It sounds like there are tons of things to do on the boat. I wonder if at the time we are going there will be so many college age. It sounds like you never really got to enjoy the hot tub. We have the drink and dining package.

[Kristi Barber]

Looking forward to reading more! We sail on Sunday and absolutely can't wait.

 

 

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Have an amazing time!!!

[Kristi Barber]

We are going on our first cruise on Apr 23rd out of New Orleans. Thank you for such detailed reporting. It sounds like there are tons of things to do on the boat. I wonder if at the time we are going there will be so many college age. It sounds like you never really got to enjoy the hot tub. We have the drink and dining package.

 

 

Spring breakers should be long gone by mid April. Texas and Oklahoma have mid March breaks. No hot tub on this trip but didn't really miss it. I think it did take them about 2 days to find the 5th hot tub up in front that is ny itself and not in pool area. 😂

[Kristi Barber]

Sorry forgot last daily. I have about 700 pictures if you have questions or would like a picture of something I didn't post I may have it just didn't get Time to post everything! LOL

 

 

[FirstTimeCruise3/2017]

I too was on the same cruise. This was my family's very first cruise and really didn't know what to expect. There were ALOT of college kids. BUT after a bunch of them got thrown out of the Casino the 1st night for making to much noise, the casino was the best place to get your drinks later in the night I found. We also did Cagney's, but it was on the second night. We chose to get the 32oz Porterhouse Steak, and like you guys, we're from Texas also, so expectations were high. They were amazing. Way too much food. So we had steak for breakfast.

 

We finished the cruise at Moderno. Which was a good choice because the let us have ALL the desserts to try since it was the last night and all. I really would love to do this cruise again.

Edited March 25, 2017 by FirstTimeCruise3/2017
typo's

[Kristi Barber]

I too was on the same cruise. This was my family's very first cruise and really didn't know what to expect. There were ALOT of college kids. BUT after a bunch of them got thrown out of the Casino the 1st night for making to much noise, the casino was the best place to get your drinks later in the night I found. We also did Cagney's, but it was on the second night. We chose to get the 32oz Porterhouse Steak, and like you guys, we're from Texas also, so expectations were high. They were amazing. Way too much food. So we had steak for breakfast.

 

We finished the cruise at Moderno. Which was a good choice because the let us have ALL the desserts to try since it was the last night and all. I really would love to do this cruise again.

 

Glad you all also had a great time! We too would do this cruise again on Dawn in a heartbeat!

[LuCruise]

Great review. We're on a cruise in 2019 and from your review you just sold me in Maya Chan. Looks amazing and great all inclusive. To confirm, part of the cost is getting you from the ship and taking you there, and vice versa (I.r. no taxi required). How early did you need to book?

 

Love your review. Looks like you had a great cruise.

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

[Kristi Barber]

Great review. We're on a cruise in 2019 and from your review you just sold me in Maya Chan. Looks amazing and great all inclusive. To confirm, part of the cost is getting you from the ship and taking you there, and vice versa (I.r. no taxi required). How early did you need to book?

 

Love your review. Looks like you had a great cruise.

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

 

Yes transportation is included! In fact, if you miss the Chan shuttle they just tell you to grab any yellow taxi to Maya Chan and they will PAY the cost when you arrive. Can't beat that hospitality. We booked in December for our March cruise so I would say 3-4 months out? They are prompt in emailing you and you can request shaded thatched hut or more of a flat cover type area. It is actually owned/ran by an American family that had visited Costa Maya, couldn't find anything like this, so they bit the bullet and opened their own resort. Boy do I wish I had the guts to jump off like that. What a life! Pretty sure the thatched huts reserve up first and that's what we were after! It also depends on how many ships are in when you cruise. The more ships the more demand so sooner than later reservations. You only pay a small deposit to hod reservation when you make it and then about three weeks before you arrive you get an invoice for the balance. They have areas for 2-4 and then larger areas of like "double huts" for large groups. TOTALLY WORTH IT!

[bbeever]

Really enjoyed your review. This will be our second NCL cruise and our first on the Dawn. We leave on April 16 and can't wait!!

[Kristi Barber]

Really enjoyed your review. This will be our second NCL cruise and our first on the Dawn. We leave on April 16 and can't wait!!

 

 

Dawn is very nice. You should have a great cruise! Bon voyage...

[OUgal]

Great review, Kristi! My family and I were on the Dawn at the same time as you and your family. We actually were your neighbors in Villa #11 on Harvest Caye.

 

Thank you to you and your son, Kaleb, for the amazing starfish you found. It was so nice of you all to give it to my son, Caleb too!

 

We enjoyed the HC villa so much too. When the rain came in, we enjoyed playing card games and just relaxing together with such a beautiful beach view.

 

Before we left the villa, we ended up putting the starfish back in the ocean. My son was too afraid to touch it! He thought it was going to bite him. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

Best of luck on your future cruises!

 

 

Nicole

 

 

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[LuCruise]

Yes transportation is included! In fact, if you miss the Chan shuttle they just tell you to grab any yellow taxi to Maya Chan and they will PAY the cost when you arrive. Can't beat that hospitality. We booked in December for our March cruise so I would say 3-4 months out? They are prompt in emailing you and you can request shaded thatched hut or more of a flat cover type area. It is actually owned/ran by an American family that had visited Costa Maya, couldn't find anything like this, so they bit the bullet and opened their own resort. Boy do I wish I had the guts to jump off like that. What a life! Pretty sure the thatched huts reserve up first and that's what we were after! It also depends on how many ships are in when you cruise. The more ships the more demand so sooner than later reservations. You only pay a small deposit to hod reservation when you make it and then about three weeks before you arrive you get an invoice for the balance. They have areas for 2-4 and then larger areas of like "double huts" for large groups. TOTALLY WORTH IT!

 

Wow, that's really good. I checked out the cost and considering it includes lunch, drinks, facilities and transportation, it's great value for the money. The place looks really nice too. Thanks for the timeline. We have 2 years so probably don't need to book yet (ha ha), but gives a good guide. Great idea of the family to open such a business. I'm sure they do really well. Thanks for the info.

[Kristi Barber]

Great review, Kristi! My family and I were on the Dawn at the same time as you and your family. We actually were your neighbors in Villa #11 on Harvest Caye.

 

Thank you to you and your son, Kaleb, for the amazing starfish you found. It was so nice of you all to give it to my son, Caleb too!

 

We enjoyed the HC villa so much too. When the rain came in, we enjoyed playing card games and just relaxing together with such a beautiful beach view.

 

Before we left the villa, we ended up putting the starfish back in the ocean. My son was too afraid to touch it! He thought it was going to bite him. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

Best of luck on your future cruises!

 

 

Nicole

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hello neighbors!

Awe...glad he at least enjoyed seeing it.

We put ours back too because they usually take from you getting on ship anyway and we wanted it to live anyway.

 

We are headed to Alaska on new Bliss next year if we don't cave in and book tropical before then! 😀

[pspercy]

What about the gallon of rum from Roatan ? :)

[Kristi Barber]

What about the gallon of rum from Roatan ? :)

 

 

Aged premium Plata Honduras dark rum. It was smooth and delicious! My DH said it's a liter not gallon! ��. $15 at grocery store in Roatan and very good. At the overlook they wanted $11 for a pint.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Kristi Barber

[Ekwit8]

Thanks for your great review!

[tweetylori]

What a terrific review, thank you! You've gotten me super excited for our Dawn cruise in November. Question for you about the casino...how smokey was it? And congrats on that $600 win and the blackjack win. Love to hear about folks winning in casinos on cruises!!!! I will say that I would NOT be happy about the kids getting free bingo cards. That would keep me from playing it. Especially when you could take that same $45 and play for awhile in the casino with no kids. :*

[Kristi Barber]

What a terrific review, thank you! You've gotten me super excited for our Dawn cruise in November. Question for you about the casino...how smokey was it? And congrats on that $600 win and the blackjack win. Love to hear about folks winning in casinos on cruises!!!! I will say that I would NOT be happy about the kids getting free bingo cards. That would keep me from playing it. Especially when you could take that same $45 and play for awhile in the casino with no kids. :*

 

Casino wasn't too smoky to us but we are used to that in casinos. The closest places to Texas to gamble is Oklahoma and New Mexico and they are all smoking casinos. I'm sure the fairly new refurb helped also with new carpet and paint in there. It will start to smell after a while I am sure just like all the others.

It was nice that the minimum on Blackjack was only $6 so you could play for a while, might not make much but still could play. :)

[Kristi Barber]

Thanks for your great review!

 

 

You are welcome. Hopefully it will help someone. We had an amazing time and I can try to answer any questions, at least about the Dawn.

[Kristi Barber]

I too was on the same cruise. This was my family's very first cruise and really didn't know what to expect. There were ALOT of college kids. BUT after a bunch of them got thrown out of the Casino the 1st night for making to much noise, the casino was the best place to get your drinks later in the night I found. We also did Cagney's, but it was on the second night. We chose to get the 32oz Porterhouse Steak, and like you guys, we're from Texas also, so expectations were high. They were amazing. Way too much food. So we had steak for breakfast.

 

We finished the cruise at Moderno. Which was a good choice because the let us have ALL the desserts to try since it was the last night and all. I really would love to do this cruise again.

 

Glad you guys had a great time too. Yes, steaks in Cagney's were really good. We thought Moderno was "okay" but Cagney's was our favorite of the week for sure.