Review of NCL Dawn August 24, 2018 Boston to Bermuda with pictures

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This smaller beach was to the right of Horseshoe Bay.

It looked ideal for little ones.

 

I had read that there was plenty more beach to the left, though. So we walked along the water's edge for maybe 1/2 mile. Beautiful sand and views along the way as it became less and less crowded.

 

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From the water, a view of the beach we finally stopped at.

 

 

The only amenities at this end of the beach is trash cans. Note there is little shade very close to the rocks and no chairs for rent. We had brought a beach blanket with us.

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I noticed small ants in the sand next to the rocks. They liked to bite me, but did not bother my husband. Maybe bug spray would have helped.

More beach pictures

A waterfall formed after a large wave hit the rock

 

The beach was wonderful. The water was warm. It usually takes me several minutes to acclimate to the water, but this was ideal. We have been to many beaches on our cruises, but with the soft, pink sand, this may be my favorite.

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On Monday evening, we took a prebooked sunset catamaran tour with Restless Native. It lasted from 7:00 to about 8:30. I would book with this company again. The crew was friendly, the ship was clean clean clean, and the rum swizzles were smooth.

[soccermommy]

We will be on the Dawn for the first time in October (Quebec-Boston), so I've been enjoying your comments. Your pictures are absolutely beautiful! I haven't been to Bermuda in many years, and these pictures are making me reconsider returning.

Many thanks!

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The captain used his engines to get out of the port area, and then he opened up the sails. There was not much wind, but it was enough.

 

If you want the longest view of the sunset, sit on the port side of the vessel. You'll get to enjoy the sunset all the way back to the Dawn.

 

 

More sunset from the catamaran

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We will be on the Dawn for the first time in October (Quebec-Boston), so I've been enjoying your comments. Your pictures are absolutely beautiful! I haven't been to Bermuda in many years, and these pictures are making me reconsider returning.

Many thanks!

 

Thanks, soccermommy. We would take this trip again in a heartbeat.

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By the end of Monday's sunset cruise, I was feeling pretty good having had a rum swizzle and a few small chocolate chip cookies. We were very hungry for our dinner, and this was one of the nights that we ate in the Aqua.

 

Tuesday's beach day was much the same, and we were back on board by 2:00.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Lovely! We're taking that same sunset cruise! Soooooo excited! Also, thank you for the menu with prices, which are far more reasonable than I expected. So we may not hustle back to the ship on our long day in port.

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Lovely! We're taking that same sunset cruise! Soooooo excited! Also, thank you for the menu with prices, which are far more reasonable than I expected. So we may not hustle back to the ship on our long day in port.

 

Here's a tip for the sunset cruise. Consider wearing sensible, boat-friendly shoes. I saw some ladies very dressed up with high heels or wedges. I thought to myself that it could be dangerous.

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Wednesday and Thursday were at sea traveling back to Boston. I do not have very many pictures from these days because I was in full, vacation mode. You know...the days when you have no idea what time it is.

 

Here's a plate of food from the buffet. The muffin flavors seemed to rotate. My favorite flavor is almond (shown here).

 

And the breakfast buffet

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On one of the days (maybe Thursday), we attended a talk in the Bliss Lounge in which the cruise director presented facts/figures about the Dawn. After his slides, the three top officers held a Q/A session. It was attended by the captain, hotel director and chief engineer. I was very impressed at the level of senior officers and their good-natured responses to questions.

 

Here are a couple of pages from the handout provided to us.

 

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On Thursday evening, we enjoyed the magician, PJ Wen. This may have been my favorite show of the cruise. I recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

 

After the show, we went back to our cabin to pack up and put our suitcases in the hall before midnight. We affixed light blue tags which showed a disembarkation time of 9:25. The next day, our tag color was called closer to 9:00.

 

We left our room on Friday morning around 7:45 and headed to the Venetian for breakfast.

Here's my last food picture. You may notice there's french toast just like at the buffet. We liked the french toast and didn't see a need for syrup on it.

 

I was a little curious about the half a strawberry. On a fruit plate earlier in the week, I got a quarter of a strawberry. Are strawberries so expensive that it is a big cost savings to have workers slice them carefully? I felt like a full strawberry on my plate was a reasonable expectation. Anyhow, it was our final meal onboard the Dawn. Both the service and food quality were excellent.

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Once finished with breakfast, we needed a quiet place to sit and read until our luggage tag color was called. We were the only ones on deck 9 in the atrium. It was very comfortable while we waited.

 

Once called, there was a bit of confusion as to which line to stand in. A crew member directed us to the line towards the Stardust Theater. The other line was for folks walking off with their luggage. On the promenade deck a customs officer reviewed our passports and that was it. No form to fill out.

 

Once in the terminal, it was easy to find our two bags, and we went outside with no further lines or waiting.

 

One of the lines to disembark

 

Here you can see the bridge to the terminal

 

This is taken from the top of the escalator to the the luggage retrieval area. Flags hanging on the wall indicate the luggage tag color for that area.

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Then we walked the relatively short distance to where our vehicle was parked.

 

One last picture of her smiling face

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That's my whole review.

 

In summary, here's what I thought about Bermuda/the NCL cruise:

No stress.

Friendly people.

Clean public areas.

Gorgeous pink sand beaches. Warm, clear water for swimming.

Rum swizzles. :)

 

 

Feel free to ask any questions. I've benefited from many posts on this board and am happy to give back a little.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Just a final thank you! I so appreciate your pictures, especially of the beaches and the food. I have to admit that I’m unlikely to share many food pics because I’m a pro restaurant reviewer, and it's such a treat to have a good meal WITHOUT having to take pictures and notes. I will try....I think, since you've been so generous.

[Snowysmom]

I enjoyed your review of the Dawn and Bermuda. We were on the cruise just before you and agree with most of your review. We did like the music in the Atrium when it was Rockaway Duo. However, the music in Gatsby's was not very good. When we were on the Dawn in 2013 Ariel was there and he was really good. Thanks for the pictures. I really like the Dawn and am sorry to see it leave Boston.

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I enjoyed your review of the Dawn and Bermuda. We were on the cruise just before you and agree with most of your review. We did like the music in the Atrium when it was Rockaway Duo. However, the music in Gatsby's was not very good. When we were on the Dawn in 2013 Ariel was there and he was really good. Thanks for the pictures. I really like the Dawn and am sorry to see it leave Boston.

 

Thanks for your comments on the entertainment, Snowysmom. The atrium entertainment was Jose and Patty. I understand that quite a few cruise critics enjoy their show, but it was not to our taste.

[candykates]

We're very grateful for the pictures as they allow us to live through you until next week when it will be our turn!

 

I was just going to say the same thing! So excited, can't wait!

 

Thank you for this very detailed review. The pictures are fabulous, especially the sunsets! I am very much looking forward to seeing all of this myself in just a few days.

Edited September 3, 2018 by candykates

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I think that the sunsets are always better on vacation!

 

One more observation from me. I had planned for us to walk to Seaglass Beach from the Dawn. It's not very far from Royal Naval Dockyard. I had directions and had noted when the low tide was expected. (Low tide is supposed to be ideal for viewing the seaglass.)

 

While riding the minibus, I saw the lack of sidewalks and decided against walking to the beach. It did not seem safe. Someone else on the board suggested taking the public bus to the nearby bus stop. I think this would have been safer with the traffic.

[vacation44]

Great pictures!!!

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Great pictures!!!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed them.

[nhquilter1]

Was this an excursion through the cruise line or a private tour? 

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On 1/8/2019 at 12:12 PM, nhquilter1 said:

Was this an excursion through the cruise line or a private tour? 

The sunset catamaran was booked privately.