Review of Dawn 2/12/06~Professional Viewpoint

[seahorse]

Appreciated your experience and insight. Hope NCL is paying attention.

 

Regarding the concierge, I think they just have too many cabins to give personal attention to them all.

 

Thank You,

 

The concierge on the Star that we had was fantastic. I guess I got spoiled. It is not that we used her, or needed her that much. We are not high-maintenance, BUT, and this is a big but, she always let us know that she was there at her disposal.....contacted us every day via a phone call or a note on our door......said hello by name when we met her throughout the ship.

 

Little things mean a lot:) Even tho she didn`t actually "do" much for us, she got the tip.

[newmexicoNita]

Food Changes

 

Backround........I was a professional chef in my former life:rolleyes: and always a "foodie". I do know quality and presentation. I am also a vegetarian but that does not negate my views. I can see and smell, that is how I cook, I have an educated "nose";)

 

The food quality, quantity and variety have changed. This is not a good change. It is a cost cutting measure, bottom line. I think it is to get more people to eat in the pay restaurants as well.

 

Someone said to me......."Tell your clients to eat in the pay restaurants." This is not an option. You cannot tell people "the food is not that good....you paid for this cruise with your hard-earned money.....so I suggest that you PAY MORE to get a good meal". Not a good thing. I hope they go back, but something tells me they will not. So I can not make this a selling point for NCL.

 

Maybe I could consult with them on how to have good food on a budget:rolleyes: I did run Corporate dining rooms.

 

BTW.....OXTAILS is Peasant Food......prunes are for the elderly....and vegetarians eat other foods besides eggplant:p

 

Next...drinks and service.

too funny; actually I ate Oxtails more when I was younger and prunes as well. Keep it up, I am enjoying your review from a professional and passenger's view. Like you, I do not use TA discounts for a couple of reasons and I do not think the crew knows I am a TA. Some of the people I meet on the ship find out though the period we are together. I am sorry to hear about the food, but am not surprised as we are hearing this from everyone and I experienced pretty much the same thing on Celebrity a few months ago. I will say there were a couple of nights with more than 1 interesting entree. More than the quality was the portions. At least I didn't gain too much weight. One more question: Is it true they have discontinued the Pres night menu? This has always been a favorite. Nita

[claimsgal]

Anne,

 

Thanks for the insight about the Dawn. I will be a 1st time cruiser on the Dawn in June & have read so many of the boards that it really gets confusing. You gave a great review, even though I have to admit I'm a little disappointed about the service & food- but I'm going to go & have a great time and try not to stress about things I can't control. Keep up the good work!

 

Claimsgal

[seahorse]

Anne,

 

Thanks for the insight about the Dawn. I will be a 1st time cruiser on the Dawn in June & have read so many of the boards that it really gets confusing. You gave a great review, even though I have to admit I'm a little disappointed about the service & food- but I'm going to go & have a great time and try not to stress about things I can't control. Keep up the good work!

 

Claimsgal

 

Thank You,

 

I wouldn`t worry about the service.....there was a caveat to my statement. I think it was on account of the storm and that many of the employees were supposed to get off and go home and could not.

 

How disappointing is that:( ?

 

I have been on the Dawn 4x and the service has always been fine.......the food however.........:mad: I hope that they change that back to what it was.

[Harleycat]

I wholeheartedly agree -- Carmen was our butler, too. She told us (last January) that she'll be going on vacation sometime in April.

 

I agree, also! Claudio was our concierge & we received the form letter (with restaurant reservation sheet) at the beginning of the cruise, and another at the end. In the middle, probably some more letters about the ports.

 

I had read on these boards that Claudio was a great concierge, but I thought the same thing: no phone calls to check in with us even once!

 

With respect to concierge, there was BIG difference from being in AA (last June) versus AD (last Jan.). I assume that they have too many suites to take care of.

 

Thanks for your review, Ann!

 

We had Claudio as our Concierge in an AC suite in September and we saw and spoke to him at least once a day usually more.

[chris sea]

Greenie,

 

My DH said the exact same thing "There is nothing that I want on the menu tonight". He did eat (of course:rolleyes: ) but there was no joy in his chosing......there was no "WOW" factor. It was "Oh well, I guess I`ll have this tonight":(

 

For all of the times that we have been on the Dawn we have never made it to La Trattoria. Don`t really know why:confused:

 

Hi Sarge,

 

Terrific and very fair review:D . We too have never eaten at La Trattoria. The 2/12.sailing being our second on the Dawn. I wonder if it was Med. Night that Bud didn't see anything he wanted on the menu? We thought the choices were EVIL that night.But, we were able to choose from the anytime side of the menu:)

[intrepid_guy]

I thought about going down and having the gratuity adjusted to compensate for the poor food in the main dinning rooms, but didn't. Is there something else that I could have done to show my displeasure with the quality of food?

ce2000 - I am glad you did not adjust your tips, it really is not the fault of the servers. My question is, did you fill out a comment card at the end of your cruise? There is a section about the restaurants/food. In addition there is space (albeit small) at the bottom for written comments. Beyond that, you can write to Miami and express your opinion.

 

 

~Intrepid

[seahorse]

Hi Sarge,

 

Terrific and very fair review:D . We too have never eaten at La Trattoria. The 2/12.sailing being our second on the Dawn. I wonder if it was Med. Night that Bud didn't see anything he wanted on the menu? We thought the choices were EVIL that night.But, we were able to choose from the anytime side of the menu:)

 

Unfortunately it was quit a few nights:o He did say what he did eat was "good" just not yum. Kinda like a cheap neighborhood restaurant, ooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrr perhaps a Diner:eek:

 

I think La Trattoria, for me, is "Out of sight....out of mind".

[Mrmacman]

I have to agree with most about the food. The selection was not nearly as good this year as it was last. I too often found myself selecting "something" to eat as opposed to finding numerous things that were exciting. I don't mind the small portions because you can order as much as you want. But I did laugh outloud on Italian night in Impressions. We ordered the meatball appetizer. Out come two (2) meatballs that were smaller than ping-pong balls....on this medium sized white plate. It was absolutely ridiculous.

 

We ended up eating the majority of our meals in specialties this time. Did 3 pay (Tepinyaki...wonderful, Cagney's...ok, Bistro...good). I actually enjoy Salsa (if you order LOTS of different items) and Trattoria (ate there 2's).

[shoreguy]

I have to agree with most about the food. The selection was not nearly as good this year as it was last. I too often found myself selecting "something" to eat as opposed to finding numerous things that were exciting. I don't mind the small portions because you can order as much as you want. But I did laugh outloud on Italian night in Impressions. We ordered the meatball appetizer. Out come two (2) meatballs that were smaller than ping-pong balls....on this medium sized white plate. It was absolutely ridiculous.

 

We ended up eating the majority of our meals in specialties this time. Did 3 pay (Tepinyaki...wonderful, Cagney's...ok, Bistro...good). I actually enjoy Salsa (if you order LOTS of different items) and Trattoria (ate there 2's).

 

I actually liked the meatball appetizer. Two small meatballs a little angle hair with a nice gravy. Now if you ordered it for dinner that would be a shock. One of a few new things I hope they keep.

 

They can take half the salmon out of the menu and make me happier ( I know that will not make others happy). I think one night 3 of 5 appetizers had salmon. There were two seafood options on the main menu and even the pasta had salmon in it.

 

The interesting thing and one from a "professional" standpoint you should think about Ann. The people who I spoke with that had real issues with the menu where those that had cruised on the Dawn before and noticed the missing items. I spoke to a number of first time NCL cruises and many not all were happy with the food. In fact two different couples I meet (not CC members) were so impressed with this cruise they purchased the Platinum Lat. package.

 

One think I have gotten in feedback from everyone at NCL I shared the concerns about the menu with - this is not the end state. They are trying to revamp the menus and know it is not right yet. The comment cards are wildly split. Believe it or not some like the new menus much better. (they must like salmon:rolleyes: )

 

All we can do is to continue let NCL know how we feel and hope the F&B department gets it right for all of us soon.

[LIL MAC]

Ann thank you for posting this. I feel the same way as you. I have talked to you on the ship about these things and did get off a letter to C. Veitch .

THANKS AGAIN FOR POSTING THIS......

[seahorse]

I actually liked the meatball appetizer. Two small meatballs a little angle hair with a nice gravy. Now if you ordered it for dinner that would be a shock. One of a few new things I hope they keep.

 

They can take half the salmon out of the menu and make me happier ( I know that will not make others happy). I think one night 3 of 5 appetizers had salmon. There were two seafood options on the main menu and even the pasta had salmon in it.

 

The interesting thing and one from a "professional" standpoint you should think about Ann. The people who I spoke with that had real issues with the menu where those that had cruised on the Dawn before and noticed the missing items. I spoke to a number of first time NCL cruises and many not all were happy with the food. In fact two different couples I meet (not CC members) were so impressed with this cruise they purchased the Platinum Lat. package.

 

One think I have gotten in feedback from everyone at NCL I shared the concerns about the menu with - this is not the end state. They are trying to revamp the menus and know it is not right yet. The comment cards are wildly split. Believe it or not some like the new menus much better. (they must like salmon:rolleyes: )

 

All we can do is to continue let NCL know how we feel and hope the F&B department gets it right for all of us soon.

 

Which "profession" Jim.......TA or chef;)

 

Some people like "Diner" food......that is why there are so many of them.

 

Any restaurant that I worked in, if you changed the menu for the worse as a cost cutting experiment........sure death. You will not get your repeat clientèle and they will bad mouth you.

 

If NCL keeps up this "experiment" in place it could be a "DISASTER":eek: ;)

Missing items are not the issue. The quality, quantity and variety are the issue.

One day at the buffet at lunch there was nothing but ground meat in one form or another and a few thin pork chops, so thin they qualified as lunch meat.

[travelteam]

We were on the Dawn 1/2/06. Very limited choices in the main dining rooms. I ordered steak twice because nothing made me go WOW, very thin cuts, but tender. Service was good. Only a problem when health inspections were underway at breakfast in the Venetion. Couldn't get the table cleared or a cup of coffee. Pay resturants were tops. Great food (actually too much) and great service. The Carribean dinner menu was terrible (nothing we wanted to order) so we ate in Bambo. We were disappointed in the lack of selection. Each meal had one beef, one fish, one veggie. We didn't think that was choice. Also I missed rack of lamb, my all time cruise favorite, and pork ribs on the b-b-que. The buffet was fine for an occassional breakfast.............nothing special. We did like the sandwiches at the NY Deli. I always asked for two, and then combined them for a REAL NY treat. The good news, I lost 2 pounts on the cruise, since we were very active during port visits, and with the high cost of drinks, we drank less. We pre-ordered a bar set-up, and made drinks for ourselves more often than on our previous cruises (more than 20).

 

Overall, we had a ball. The ship is beautiful. The staff very friendly and willing to do almost any request that was reasonable. We will probably not cruise NCL for awhile, since Princess is now out of NYC, and I'd like to see if they too are cutting back on the cruise experience. But if NCL had an iternary that pleased us, we would book again in the future.

 

I'm from NY and I love choice. NCL didn't deliver that in the main dining room during our trip.:(

[seahorse]

Ann thank you for posting this. I feel the same way as you. I have talked to you on the ship about these things and did get off a letter to C. Veitch .

THANKS AGAIN FOR POSTING THIS......

 

You are welcome Pook,

 

This is the only way that we can let management know. If their loyal guests tell them what our concerns are perhaps they will listen.

 

As I said before..........I love Freestyle.......I love NCL. They had a tough row to hoe a while ago.......I don`t want them to mess it up now.

[CPT Trips]

Thanks for the review - your experiences were similar to ours. After our Jan 2nd trip on the Dawn, I felt that NCL was lacking compared to what we had experienced on the Sun the previous year. There was no doubt in my mind that the food/menu is suffering from the changes and I was also disappointed in the dining room service . . . not very attentive (sounds like the concierge)and at least one mistake with the order almost every meal.

Reservations in Salsa were not easy to get, I guess the concierge is a help there. We were only successful once in getting them trying the same day. I guess we could have tried more ahead of time, but that didn't seem "freestyle" to me :).

I certainly hope that "HQ" reads these boards and makes some fixes to the menu situation.

[palmtre2]

I am booked for the Spirit for April of next year but friends who we love dearly are looking at the Dawn. We've cruised together before and both families have children, we were hoping we wouldn't have to spend a small fortune to feed everyone. I did take a look at some recent dining room menus and you aren't given many choices. The kids would love Salsa's and the menu for the Trattoria may be to their liking but what else is there for children who don't order from kids menus anymore to eat that won't break the bank or cause a meltdown trying to get reservations????? Can we get them something that is not on the menu in the regular dining room so that the parents can eat a meal with their children???

[seahorse]

Thanks for the review - your experiences were similar to ours. After our Jan 2nd trip on the Dawn, I felt that NCL was lacking compared to what we had experienced on the Sun the previous year. There was no doubt in my mind that the food/menu is suffering from the changes and I was also disappointed in the dining room service . . . not very attentive (sounds like the concierge)and at least one mistake with the order almost every meal.

Reservations in Salsa were not easy to get, I guess the concierge is a help there. We were only successful once in getting them trying the same day. I guess we could have tried more ahead of time, but that didn't seem "freestyle" to me :).

I certainly hope that "HQ" reads these boards and makes some fixes to the menu situation.

 

I could never understand about Salsas.....there are always tables vacant no matter what time. We went around 9 one night and they said "We will let you in tonight, but next time make reservations."

 

NO ONE WAS THERE:confused: A family of 3 on our side and maybe 3 other tables on the other.....go figure.

 

The one night that we did make reservations, tables were vacant the entire time we were there......it was around 7 to 9.

[Mrmacman]

I actually liked the meatball appetizer. Two small meatballs a little angle hair with a nice gravy. Now if you ordered it for dinner that would be a shock. One of a few new things I hope they keep.

 

They can take half the salmon out of the menu and make me happier ( I know that will not make others happy). I think one night 3 of 5 appetizers had salmon. There were two seafood options on the main menu and even the pasta had salmon in it.

 

The interesting thing and one from a "professional" standpoint you should think about Ann. The people who I spoke with that had real issues with the menu where those that had cruised on the Dawn before and noticed the missing items. I spoke to a number of first time NCL cruises and many not all were happy with the food. In fact two different couples I meet (not CC members) were so impressed with this cruise they purchased the Platinum Lat. package.

 

One think I have gotten in feedback from everyone at NCL I shared the concerns about the menu with - this is not the end state. They are trying to revamp the menus and know it is not right yet. The comment cards are wildly split. Believe it or not some like the new menus much better. (they must like salmon:rolleyes: )

 

All we can do is to continue let NCL know how we feel and hope the F&B department gets it right for all of us soon.

 

Shoreguy - Angel hair? You got angel hair with your????? I guess that poor old angel was bald by the time we ate. Those two lonely looking dry meatballs are still the subject of a good laugh with us. I agree about salmon. I LOVE it, but it was endless. Maybe Costco had a clearance and NCL picked up that option. I honestly am not sure I would do NCL again. If it was not for the suite we had this time, I would have been less than thrilled with the trip.

[chris sea]

I could never understand about Salsas.....there are always tables vacant no matter what time. We went around 9 one night and they said "We will let you in tonight, but next time make reservations."

 

NO ONE WAS THERE:confused: A family of 3 on our side and maybe 3 other tables on the other.....go figure.

 

The one night that we did make reservations, tables were vacant the entire time we were there......it was around 7 to 9.

 

Ann,

 

We noticed that too. We thought maybe it was due to the storm . Maybe they were short staffed:confused: We got in only once., and that was after contacting Alex.:)

[shelleymp]

Thank you for the terrific review! I also really enjoyed shoreguy's review from the 'blizzard' cruise. You and many others have expressed disappointment with the change of menu's. As you both pointed out, it's important that NCL is aware of how this is being viewed, positive and negative. Can you recommend an email address to send comments to?

[johnql]

Those two lonely looking dry meatballs are still the subject of a good laugh with us.

C'mon - it was an appetizer. It's not meant to be a full meal. However, if you're saying that they didn't taste good (not mentioned in your original post), that's a different matter.

[seahorse]

Ann,

 

We noticed that too. We thought maybe it was due to the storm . Maybe they were short staffed:confused: We got in only once., and that was after contacting Alex.:)

 

Nope, it has always been like that. Never could figure it out. I called Salsas and they gave me 7 or 9.....Wolf called Alex and he gave us 7 or 9.:D Nuff said.

 

Bud likes Mexican food. The portions aren`t large but you could get a lot of little dishes and not feel like a pig. I could make a dinner, and I did, on the cheese stix and the poppers:D

 

BTW...I found the service to be the best in Salsas and Bamboo.

[seahorse]

Thank you for the terrific review! I also really enjoyed shoreguy's review from the 'blizzard' cruise. You and many others have expressed disappointment with the change of menu's. As you both pointed out, it's important that NCL is aware of how this is being viewed, positive and negative. Can you recommend an email address to send comments to?

 

cveitch@ncl.com astuart@ncl.com

[chris sea]

Nope, it has always been like that. Never could figure it out. I called Salsas and they gave me 7 or 9.....Wolf called Alex and he gave us 7 or 9.:D Nuff said.

 

Bud likes Mexican food. The portions aren`t large but you could get a lot of little dishes and not feel like a pig. I could make a dinner, and I did, on the cheese stix and the poppers:D

 

BTW...I found the service to be the best in Salsas and Bamboo.

 

Ann,

 

The poppers were sooo good:D And the red sangria, wish I had a glass and some poppers right now:)

[ce2000]

ce2000 - I am glad you did not adjust your tips, it really is not the fault of the servers. My question is, did you fill out a comment card at the end of your cruise? There is a section about the restaurants/food. In addition there is space (albeit small) at the bottom for written comments. Beyond that, you can write to Miami and express your opinion.

 

 

~Intrepid

I did fill out the card, but at the time wondered if it would do any good. Is it possible for someone to discard the cards with negative comments before they are turned into NCL. I did receive a survey from NCL in my e-mail yesterday, they asked for my opion since I was recently on an NCL cruise. I filled that out also. As far as writing to Miami, it is not worth it to me. I don't really care if they make any changes or not. I will just try another cruise line. I really enjoy Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival. I am planning on booking another cruise for this summer, just me and the kids this time. It will be our vacation for the summer, I would like to try Holland America or Princess.