Norwegian Dawn with kids

[lovetotraveltx]

We travel adults only right now. We took our first NCL for New Year's Eve aboard the breakaway. All the exciting daytime activities we saw were mostly for older children. And, the night time entertainment was adult themed and not appropriate for children, for the most part. Also, I guess due to the free plans, there is a lot of drinking.

 

Friends of ours are looking at the Dawn out of New York City July or August, there will be 4 children in the party ranging in age from 2 to 14 and a grandma.  Is the Dawn more child friendly than the Breakaway? Do the summer cruises have more younger children?

 

Appreciate any insight.

 

Thank you!

[Nola26]

Yes, the Dawn has a really cute and seperate kids pool area at the rear of the ship: slide, play area, jacuzzi, etc. 

 

Use the kids and teen clubs, those really offer the best kid experiences.

 

Ships will have lots of families in the summer.

[mjkacmom]

No bells and whistles, but that won’t really matter with it being summer. There is no babysitting for the 2 year old, and no splash areas for diapered kids, but I think there might be a playroom? My teens all loved the teen club and meeting new friends, I had three 14 year old on jewel class ships and they had a ball.

[FB]

Been on Dawn several times with young kids.  They loved it.  The Dino pools at the back are very fun for them.  With slides and stuff.  Although my daughter cracked two front teeth on the slide.  Totally goofing off and in no way NCL's fault (Not following the rules 😉)

 

The kids club on Dawn have been absolutely top notch all times we've gone.  Amazing staff.  But of course that could change depending on contracts.

 

For older kids there is the sports area and other pools. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[ClarkBHM]

My kids were 8 and 6 when we sailed on the Dawn and they had a blast. The kids club is really engaging for them and they had fun there. The pools in the back are kid themed and we went there every day. I wouldn't worry about taking kids on board the Dawn.

[gymbomb]

We sailed on the Dawn last summer with a 9 month old, 4, 8, and 11 year olds, and 2 sets of grandparents in our group. Everyone had a blast. The kids pool was perfect for the 4 and 8 year old, and the 11 year old had plenty of fun playing in it with the younger kids. None of them ever went to the kids club, but we would have encouraged our son to try it if he weren't so busy playing with his cousins that he rarely sees.

[lovetotraveltx]

On 3/21/2019 at 12:48 PM, gymbomb said:

We sailed on the Dawn last summer with a 9 month old, 4, 8, and 11 year olds, and 2 sets of grandparents in our group. Everyone had a blast. The kids pool was perfect for the 4 and 8 year old, and the 11 year old had plenty of fun playing in it with the younger kids. None of them ever went to the kids club, but we would have encouraged our son to try it if he weren't so busy playing with his cousins that he rarely sees.

I've only been on NCL once, the Breakaway and just 2 adults. Was there entertainment/shows at night the whole family can enjoy? Did NCL have excursions to a beach in Port Canaveral or transportation, vs theme parks. Was the food good for all and are they good about special diets and allergies since it's free style? Thank you!

[OHRiverRats]

We loved the Dawn. There will definitely be more kids in the summer.  The kids pool area at the back of the ship looked like a lot of fun. There were a nice variety of shows in the theater and unlike the big ships you don't need reservations. The food was great. Let them know ahead of time about any special diets and allergies. Enjoy!

[kitkat343]

My 3 year old loved the kids clubs on the star.  But when my youngest was 2, we sailed with Cunard because only Carnival and Cunard allow 2 year olds in their kids clubs.  Princess allows children under 3 in the kids clubs with parental supervision.  Most refurbished RC ships, all disney ships and the NCL escape all have a nursery where you can pay to leave a child under the age of 3.  

 

Some people have enjoyed traveling with younger children and no kids clubs, but we always waited until our kids could go.  It's really up to the family, and how they feel about the need for a break.  

[newmexicoNita]

12 hours ago, lovetotraveltx said:

I've only been on NCL once, the Breakaway and just 2 adults. Was there entertainment/shows at night the whole family can enjoy? Did NCL have excursions to a beach in Port Canaveral or transportation, vs theme parks. Was the food good for all and are they good about special diets and allergies since it's free style? Thank you!

All NCL ships do have special diets available for those that have allergies or need special diets. You need to let them know ahead of time.

Yes, the excursions usually do include a theme park but there isn't a lot of time in the park. Take that into consideration. This is the case with any of the lines that use Port Canaveral as a stop. And yes, they will have an excursion to the beach. 

As for the shows, my experience from observation is: there are very few shows that will hold the interest of kids under about 7 or 8. I have seen and heard children crying, making noise, constant talking etc and many parents having to leave 1/2 through the show. There is nothing wrong with most of the shows and some are family oriented, but just some advise: the really young kids will probably enjoy the kids club a lot more than some of the shows. 

[gymbomb]

On 3/23/2019 at 6:19 PM, lovetotraveltx said:

I've only been on NCL once, the Breakaway and just 2 adults. Was there entertainment/shows at night the whole family can enjoy? Did NCL have excursions to a beach in Port Canaveral or transportation, vs theme parks. Was the food good for all and are they good about special diets and allergies since it's free style? Thank you!

 

The kids went to a couple of the shows and enjoyed them. Our itinerary was Bermuda. Though we've done the Port Canaveral run on a different ship, and went to the space center. I have sailed a couple of times with a family member with food allergies and they've done a really good job of handling it in both main dining room and specialty restaurants.

[MHKBCrusin]

On 3/21/2019 at 11:41 AM, Nola26 said:

Yes, the Dawn has a really cute and seperate kids pool area at the rear of the ship: slide, play area, jacuzzi, etc. 

 

Use the kids and teen clubs, those really offer the best kid experiences.

Ships will have lots of families in the summer.

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