Finally: My extensive review of the Dawn- 6/17-6/24

[KeystoneCruiser]

I will begin posting my EXTREMELY Long Review on here shortly. I have submitted it also to the review section. I also will be sending a copy of it to NCL Corporate. Since we had such a big problem with them prior to the cruise, I feel that I need to let them know that their on board staff once again came through. In spite of my dislike of some of the actions at NCL corporate, their ships and crews are TOP NOTCH and are the real highlight of the company.

 

Let me give a quick synopsis of the whole thing:

 

My biggest complaint: I didn't win a thing....:D :D . Actually as a group we did quite well in the winning area. Between the 11 adults, we won 3 Art Auction Painting Drawings - but not me; 2 won more than $200 in the casino - but not me; 1 won a drawing in the gift shop - but not me 4 people won Latitudes party prizes (including a free entry in the Blackjack or slot tournament & Dinner for two at LeBistro.)- but not me; and five people won at Bingo - but not me! (my sister in law won twice in the same session.) :rolleyes: By the way, anyone want to go to Vegas with me? ;)

 

Backstory: We had a total of 14 people ranging from 6 months to 77 in five cabins. Three AF's, one BA and one interior, all on Deck 11. Sometime between our first payment and final payment, NCL switched us from our connecting AF's to non connecting ones down the hall. There is a long thread about that ( ) but after numerous calls and letters by my TA and myself to many people at NCL, (and the great support and suggestions from CC members), NCL found us connecting cabins once again which were just a few doors from where we originally were. We were reassigned to these cabins about 10 days before we sailed.

 

Embarkation: Great service by NCL from greeting at airport to bus to pier. Terrible traffic in NYC due to three ships. Not impressed by NYPD at all. Embarkation once inside terminal was quick and efficient. (except the computer terminal broke when the put up my name...see Funny Story #2).

(and Yes Shoreguy, the port terminal workers are clueless. Asked a lady where the "Latitudes Area" was and she told me: "No, this is the pier for the 'Dawn,' not the "Latitutdes.") Arrived in terminal at about 12:00. Onboard ship by 12:30!

 

Cabin: As expected. Don't like the layout where the closet it. Took me two days to remember that there is a light in the closet! (and we got robes in our AF's!) Love the extra counter space. Great room stewards. Got a towel elephant on night which my daughter wouldn't let me take apart! Thanks for the hint about the power strip. Hint to future cruisers: Have room stewards unload the "purchase" items from your in room fridge so that you can use it yourself and don't pay for the overpriced items. Had very Noisy neighbors who yelled between their rooms and balconies all the time and smoked cigars constantly. First time I ever had a smoke problem on any NCL ship.

 

Ship: Star is still my favorite ship even though they are sister ships. The Dawn vibrated and creaked more than I ever remember on the Star. Lots of noises. Also don't like the layout in the back on Decks 11, 12 & 13. (Kids Pool area) Expanded Spa and fitness center makes access to Kids pool awkward and complicated. Nice ship though but Star stays #1 to me.

 

Crew: EXCELLENT. The best crew in the fleet (with the Photo gallery being the exception, see that later). Our TA had ordered a total of four special packages for the people in our group who had special events. (my parent's 54th Aniversay, my mom's 77th Birthday, another friends birthday and my brother and sister in Law's aniversary which all occured during the week.) They were all supposed to be on different days, but all were waiting in our cabins upon embarkation. Now what we were supposed to do with four cakes, four bottles of bubbly and four plates of hor'dvourves on one day is beyond me! An officer named Ray came up though and solved the problem and rescheduled the food for various days! Ray was fantastic all week!! (Hotel Director Hernandez even called to apologize for the mix-up!)

The entire crew was the most friendly and helpful crew I have ever seen on a ship!

 

One other funny story, our Captain, Trygve Vorren, had just arrived from the Sun and was in his first week on the Dawn. On the morning intercom briefing one morning he signed off with: "Have a great day on the Norweigan Sun!" He made a joke that afternoon at the Latitudes reception that he actually did know which ship he was on!

 

 

Gift Shop, Shore Excursions, Port & Shopping Consultant: All were fine in this area and I add more comments in my review about these areas. I will say that they have changed the Port & Cruise Consultant to a "Port & Shopping Consultant" and added a "Lattitudes Manager" who handles Latitutdes and future cruises. (more on him later.)

Funny Story: At the liquor sampling one night, a guy was given the paper souffle cup with a small sample of one of the liquor's in it. His response: "Is that all I get?"

 

 

Latitudes Manager & Team: Great new idea. Just need someone else on this ship to handle it. Gave out lots of mis information at the Future Cruise Presentation. Said that the NCL website is not up to date. Talked about the new Pearl and that it would have a bowling alley but he didn't know where since the deck plans weren't out yet. (I so wanted to shout out: "Its on Deck 7 and the deck plans have been on NCL.com for weeks!!") Said that the Crown is a great way to see South America for years to come. (It is leaving the fleet next year.) He talked almost exclusively about cruises for the remainder of THIS year and nothing about next summer when most of the people on this cruise would be probably ready to cruise again. Lots of other comments he made just wanted me to shout out correct information!! It also seemed that he was more interested in promoting this new Bonus Rewards Program than answering questions. (there were at least six "Champagne Receptions" to unveil the Bonus Rewards Program. (can we say overkill). More training is needed for this guy! (or let some of us CC members do the presentation....lol)

 

 

Itinerary & Ports: Didn't like this. The ports were nice, but the stay in each port was too short. When people finally got off in Nassau at 9:15 p.m., the only shops that were open were the Jewelry stores, Del Sol and a local T-shirt shop that all work through the P&S Consultant on the ship. No way to find souveiners. Since only a handful of shops were open, they were overcrowded. Couldn't really look at anything due to the crowds fighting for the free stuff. On the second day, most people had morning shore excursions that put them back just in time for all aboard at 11:30, again no time to shop or look around. More time is needed in these ports!

 

 

Cruise Director/Bingo/Activities/Entertainment: Hey I tried Bingo....didn't win any of the four times I participated though (many of the other family did though...) ACD Ingrid and her Bingo Crew is great!! Lots of fun. Plenty of other activities to do as usual. The evening parties I heard from family who went were good also. I really didn't care for CD Matt Baker. His antics just seemed silly and childish instead of funny. He also seemed like a loner from the rest of his staff. On other cruises, they had great morning programs. On this one it wasn't very good. When Matt made announcements about what was going on, it almost seemed like it was a really boring task for him. CD's don't make or break a cruise for me, so it is no big deal.

I enjoyed the Second City Comedy troupe and Gleanson Magic but didn't really care for either Jean Ann Ryan Company production. The first one was mediocre and the second one, "Bollywood" was absolutely horrible. (same things over and over.....) Again, one negative does not make or break a cruise, plenty of other offerings!

 

 

Casino & Art Auctions: I tried the casino too. (I didn't win) Nice casino, same as on the Star.

I don't get into art but several members of our family do and they enjoyed it and said it was nice. For the second year in a row, my dad (who never has bought a painting at one of those things but goes for the fun of it), WON a major painting in the free giveaway! (two other members of our group also won paintings and my brother in law bought several-- much to his wife's dismay.....)

 

 

Ok, now for the best and worst:

 

Photo Gallery & Staff: The absolute worst, rudest, most unprofessional group I have ever experienced. It was all about making money. Please read my full review of this NCL embarassment. They acted as if they knew what you wanted and didn't care what you really wanted. You had to buy pictures in "sets" of two. (couldn't buy just one). You couldn't have more than one person in your port disembark pictures no matter what. They posted a sign that Embarkation pictures would be taken down mid-week in order to get you to buy them early before the specials started. (they were still up the last morning of the cruise....only the sign was gone...to me that is a flat out lie by them) If you asked a question they were just rude. They hovered over you while you were looking at pictures, afraid someone might steal a picture. The final straw came when one of their people flat out called my mother a liar about her discussion with another photographer. (please read the photo part of my full review for that whole story.) In the end we got the last laugh on them, we got one of the Ships Officers (Ray again) to take our formal group shot on the stairs in the Grand Atrium since they wouldn't. I estimate it ended up costing them $700 to $800 in lost sales on our groups formal shots that we (and Ray) took with one of our digital cameras and are having our own pictures made which will be just as nice.

 

My biggest hint here: Don't buy the Embarkation photos until late in the week when the specials and coupons start! In spite of what they say, they will still be up.

 

 

Now for my highest COMPLIMENTS:

FOOD & Food Service: EXCELLENT!!!!! The best food service of any NCL ship that I have been on. Never had a bad waiter and we had a different one every time. The Maitre'd's were fantastic. Great experiences all around. And most importantly: my mother's food orders were right every time for the first time on a cruise. As most of you know she has severe allergies to all types of seasonings and must have plain, non marinated meats. This has lead to VERY long waits on previous NCL and other line cruises while they kept sending the food back. The only time that the meal came out of the kitchen wrong, the waiter caught it before he served it and personally went back to the kitchen and waited while they fixed the correct thing and brought out the hottest meal my mother said she ever had on a cruise.

I tried Cagney's and loved it and other members tried Bamboo and loved it. I also enjoyed Impressions. (Maitre'd Julito runs a great ship in that restaurant.) The Maitre'd's in LaTratatoria (Greta & Ramona), Cagney's (Sunny) and Aqua (Edgar) also impressed us.

 

I also have to mention Sunny here. Sunny is the Asst. Maitre'd in Cagney's who we met the first night. He is NCL's greatest asset! He became almost like our personal Maitre'd on the ship. He made almost all our reservations for us in all the restaurants including Aqua and Impressions (which we could do because we were a large group) and he alerted them to my mother's allergy. He even had a hamburger made up especially for my mother one day for lunch in the buffet where he was working because there was nothing on line she could eat! He (and Julito) was always checking on us when he ran into us no matter where we were. On the last evening of the cruise, my father and I were both suffering from upset stomachs and had decided not to eat that night while the rest of the group split and went back to Cagney's and Bamboo. When he heard of our situation and that we were just going to order toast from room service, he had one of his waiters from Cagney's bring a huge plate of toast and four bowls of chicken soup (two bowls each) to our cabins to help us out! He also called to check in on us later!! What a GEM.. NCL needs to hang on to this guy! (and yes, I did mention all of these people, especially Sunny in our comment cards)

 

 

Finally in the food area: Douglas Hernandez is Hotel Director on the Dawn. A big imposing man, he would be seen around the ship and in the dining rooms all the time. His phone call to us about the mix up the parties also speaks volumes. He runs a fine operation and is another star for NCL!

 

 

Disembarkation: We ended up being two hours late in returning to New York due to routine maintainance on an engine. Originally we were told one hour but it was changed on Friday. Late Friday afternoon, our group received a notice that our flight, arranged through NCL, had been changed for fear we would miss our 3:00 p.m. flight. What great forsight by NCL! Yes our arrival at home changed from a direct flight with 5:00 p.m. arrival to a connecting flight that didn't leave NYC until 7:00 p.m. (and not getting home until 11:00), but NCL was able to make the change in advance and still keep all 11 of us on that flight together.

 

I didn't like being forced out of our rooms at 10:00 a.m., two hours before our arrival, but understood their rationale. HINT: Go up to the Spinaker Lounge on Deck 12 to wait for disembarkation. Far less crowded than the public areas on the lower decks and offers great views of the sail in to NYC. (of course it was overcast and rainy as we sailed in.) Then just jump on the forward elevators and head to deck 7 and off you go!

 

We docked at 11:45, they started calling Express Dismbarkation at 12:30 (they did it in groups by deck since so many people were taking advantage of it since we were late getting in.) We were the third group after Express to be called and we were off the ship by 1:15 p.m.. I predict that they had all the passengers off loaded by 2:00 p.m.

 

Finding our luggage was easy but it was quite a challlenge to find our NCL bus to the airport. We also waited for a long while on the bus for other passengers with NCL transfers, but after 45 minutes no one else came and we left for the airport. Took us almost 90 minutes to get from the pier to LaGuardia however. (but since we didn't have a flight until 7:00, who cared, it was a nice tour of NYC)

 

 

Conclusion: A fine and enjoyable cruise. I can't say that I will take this particular itinerary again but I would like to sail on the Dawn again someday. (perhaps after she relocates to Miami) Like I have always said, NCL's Ships and Crews are the best and makes up for all the problems that NCL corporate suffers from.

 

The full review will follow in several threads (I'm sure) if you want the details. (I believe "Moby Dick" was a shorter story...lol)

[KeystoneCruiser]

Backstory: We booked this cruise last summer. We have previously cruised on NCL three times. Twice on the Star and once on the Pride of Aloha. There were five rooms of us, a total of 13 people ranging from 6 months to 77. One couple (my sister in law’s sister) was the only new ones to NCL, the rest have been on NCL before, including last year to Alaska on the Star. We booked three AF suites, two connecting, one BA room on Deck 11 near the AF’s and one interior across from the AF’s. When we paid our deposit in October, all rooms were correct. Sometime between the first payment and the final payment, NCL switched our three AF’s moving us down the hall and more importantly out of connecting rooms. Yes, it was a three way blame: 1) NCL for switching us without asking; 2.) TA for not checking the room numbers on the final bill and 3.) my fault for not checking the room numbers before sending in final payment.

During April and May, my story unfolded on here and that thread exists back in the pages. Here is the link if you want to read well over 200 posts:

I received much support and suggestions from my cruise critic friends. My TA and her President made calls, I wrote two letters to Colin Veitch at NCL, etc. We looked into attempting to move ourselves to an open AB with connecting AF, but even though the website showed them open, NCL denied that they actually were open to our TA. We weren’t asking for them for free or the same price, we were willing to pay the difference but couldn’t even get NCL to give us a price!

Our docs came around June 1 and we felt that was it, the battle over and lost. Then low and behold, a guy named “Mario” from NCL called our TA and told her that they had “found” three AF’s together, two of which were connecting. These rooms ended up being just two doors down from our original rooms! (still close to my sister in law’s sisters inside room). The only bad part was that they only gave the TA about an hour to make a decision and we were all out of town to different areas. Luckily the TA took the offer! Rumor is that they upgraded the people in those cabins in order to free them us for us, but whatever they did, we are grateful for what they did. Many thanks to Mario!!!

We were then notified about 36 hours before leaving that we would be an hour late returning to New York on June 24. Our TA called NCL and they assured her that we would make our 3:00 p.m. flight home arranged by them and in fact they were planning special busses to get the people to their flights.

So we leave with problems solved looking forward to a great cruise.

Embarkation: This was the first trip to New York City for everyone in my party so the bus trip from LaGuardia to the pier was exciting! The NCL rep met us at the airport and had us on a bus within 30 minutes of landing! (most of that time was spent waiting for the luggage to come up on the carousel!). Complaint #1: New York Traffic (nothing NCL can do about this one). Why do you work on most of the roads in the same area at the same time?? There were three cruise ships in the port that day and traffic was a mess. It took us over an hour to get from 57th Street (near CBS) to the pier. The bus driver also informed us that for some reason the police were not allowing busses to turn into the port where they usually did and they were all having to go down by where the garbage trucks dump to make the turn back. (of course the NYC cops that I saw on the streets were just standing in packs of 3 or 4 talking and not doing a thing about the gridlock – Not impressed by the NYPD at all. When our bus driver asked a fat sergeant why they weren’t allowing turns where they normally did, the cop replied: “its really none of your business you know.” Very rude.

When we finally got into the port area, the guy directing traffic there wouldn’t listen to our driver either. Our driver said we were there for the Dawn which was the third ship in line. The guy told him to park in the first bay, which put us by the Spirit, the first ship in line. The driver tried to argue but to no avail. So we got off the bus at the Spirit and touted our luggage down past the Spirit and Carnival Victory to the third berth and the Dawn. Now here is where things went well.

Porters took our checked luggage from us to the ship and directed us up to the reception area. Funny Story #1: Shoreguy had alerted me as to where to go for the Latitudes area and that the people at the port were clueless. He was right. I asked a lady where to go for the “Latitudes area” and she said back to me: “No, this is the pier for the Dawn, not the Latitudes.” Doh!

They had already started boarding so the Latitudes area was empty and we just went and sat in the chair section waiting to proceed through security. We got up to the lines to check in with in 15 minutes and being Latitudes members we of course were taken to the front of the line. (they also allowed my sister in laws sister to come into the Latitudes line with us since her and her husband were the only non Latitudes people in our party.)

Funny Story #2: Went up to the check in desk to turn in paperwork, etc. Guess what: I broke the computer…..lol In the middle of processing my paperwork the terminal just crashed! (of course my other family members checking in at terminals on either side found this hilarious and were making jokes that NCL was getting back at me….all in good fun.) The lady checking me in apologized and had me follow her to another terminal where they completed my paperwork.

We were on the ship within 30 minutes of getting off the bus. (It was something like 12:30 by this time.) When we boarded we were given notices that our rooms would not be ready until 2:00 p.m.. Minor complaint here that we had to drag our carryons with us, but we went to buffet, piled our stuff in one of the window sills next to a table and took turns guarding it while others got lunch. We then gave our new cruisers a quick tour of the ship and went to the rooms about 1:45. They were ready.

I was very impressed with this embarkation process. Very smooth for such a quick turnover!!!

Cabin: Having been in BA and BB cabins in the past, I knew what to expect. I will say that I do not like the closet location in AF suites. It is somewhat awkward to get in and out of the closet next to the bed. Funny Story #3 and Hint #1: I forgot about the light in the closet until about Day 3!!. There is a light in the back of the closet, you have to turn it on back there. Provides plenty of closet light! (after I found it……)

Hint #2: Take a power strip. I did and it was very handy. There is plenty of counter space in AF cabins although there is less drawer space than in BA’s. I also like the fact that the safe is not right in front of the door which was awkward in BA’s.

Hint #3: AF cabins come with a stocked fridge and snacks. You are billed for what you use and more importantly, the fridge is so full that there is no place for you to put your own things. Simply ask your room stewards to remove the items the first day and not to restock.

While on the subject of room stewards, my two stewards, Allan and Henry, were wonderful. It was funny, I never saw them as much as I have past stewards, (even in the hall), but things were always clean and done on time. They also provided a pager number to call for them if we needed something during their off times. My daughter loved the towel elephant she got the last night. I am a slob with counters and they kept straightening my mess up there too….lol. I did tip them the last morning.

Complaint #2: (again, not NCL’s fault) Noisy neighbors. You always fear this and this is the first cruise I have been on where we had bad neighbors. There was this family in the cabins just past my brother in law, who had to be the loudest people I have ever heard. They would go out on their balconies and yell to each other all the time, even at night. One night they were in the hall yelling at each other. The one big guy also sat on his balcony all the time and smoked cigars and the smell kept drifting down to our rooms. This is the first time I had ever had any problems with smoking smell. The last night we heard them yelling at 2:00 a.m.!!! Please remember when you are on a cruise to be considerate of those in cabins around you, unlike these people!

Ship: Those of you who know me, know that I love the Star and since the Dawn and Star are sister ships, I should love the Dawn too. Like the layout. Don’t like the ship. The Dawn creaks and rattles and vibrates more than the Star ever did. Also on the Star, the carpet in the elevator areas are color coded so that you know where you are. (blue for forward, red for mid, green for aft.) On the Dawn, it is all blue. I also didn’t care for the change to the Kids Pool area. It is much harder to get to the Kids Pool on the Dawn. On the Star you could walk alongside the Spa to the back of Deck 12 for the Kids Pool. On the Dawn, the spa/fitness center closes off that walkway so you have to go out on Deck 13 mid and walk back to the kids pool area and then down. Just not very functional to me. Sorry, Dawn lovers, my vote still goes to the Star……..

Crew: Even though I like the Star better, I love the crew on the Dawn better. They are the most friendly, most helpful crew of any ship that I have been on. The dinning room staffs are the best. (more about that under my food review) The other crew members are terrific too. Whatever you needed they took care of it!! Always smiling and asking “is there anything else I can help you with.”

Funny Story #4: The ships Captain, Trygve Vorren, was in his first week after having served on the Sun. On Tuesday morning he was giving the daily 10:00 a.m. briefing over the intercom and at the end, he said: “have a great day aboard the beautiful Norweigan Sun.” (oops…done that myself…) That afternoon at the Latitudes reception, he apologized and said that he now knew which ship he was on. He seemed a bit more aloof than other Captains that I have had.

Problem #1/ NCL Fine Solution: Our TA had arranged and ordered several “party” packages during the week for us. It was my parent’s anniversary, my mom’s birthday, my brother and sister in law’s anniversary and the birthday of one of our friends who was traveling with us. The TA had sent me cards to give each person on their special day and a cake, bottle of champagne/wine and hor’dourves was to be sent for each occasion, all on different days. It was to be a surprise for each. Well we get to our cabins and they are all decorated and there is a cake in each of the rooms with an event. (including two sets in my parent’s room…..two cakes, two sets of decorations, etc. At least they left cards for the hor’dourves, but said that all were to be delivered on the 17th (embarkation day….none were scheduled for that day!) I had a copy of the order form from the TA with the exact dates and order (She thought something like this might happen). We called the main desk and they connected to someone in the gift department. The person in the gift department really didn’t see any problem, not even with two cakes in one room on one day….(hellooooooooo). She also said the hor’dvourves trays had been prepared and were waiting for delivery and wouldn’t keep until the days on the list. Hmmm, four cakes, four bottles of bubbly and four sets of hor’dvourves for 13 people. Luckily for us the gift department sent someone named Ray to see us. I don’t know Ray’s last name or what his function is on the ship (he is an officer or something, always in white uniform), but he is GREAT!! He read the order form from our TA, took it and made a copy of it for himself and others and then came back. He told us that the decorations and food would be taken down and away and fresh items would be brought back on the correct days. He also apologized over and over again. The next day I even received a call from Douglas Hernandez, the Hotel Director. He too apologized for the problem and told me if I had any other problems with the room parties to personally call him. (he too ended the conversation with: “is there anything else I can do for you?”)

Ray also helped with several other minor problems during the week and we talked to him a lot. (my brother in laws safe was left locked by the previous occupants…it was Ray who came to fix it…within 20 minutes of being called.) You will hear about Ray again later when we get to the photo department and a problem there.

I have always said that problems and mistakes happen and that they are unavoidable, but it is the response to those things that are important and tells about a company. Ray solved this problem!!!

Let me get back to Mr. Hernandez for a second. I have been on two cruises with the famous James Deering, supposedly the best hotel director in NCL history and I found him to be very good myself. Mr. Hernandez FAR exceeds Mr. Deering. You always saw Mr. Hernandez in the halls and the dining areas checking on things personally. It is evident throughout the dining and housekeeping parts of the ship that he runs a fantastic operation. (It was hard to miss him, he is a very big, dark haired figure.)

Food: EXCELLENT !!!!!!!!! I WILL be writing a letter to NCL about the food and food service, it was fantastic!! The service was always quick, our glasses were always kept full (as were the roll baskets). The staff seemed generally enthusiastic to help you, which I think would be hard to do since you have to deal with people all the time while doing the same thing over and over. Let me give you some highlights:

1.) As most of you know, my mother has an allergy to most types of seasoning. She cannot have anything but salt and cinnamon. She also cannot eat marinated meat for the same reason. (she even has trouble on land restaurants) On our past NCL cruises, she has had to send meals back over and over again because they came out seasoned or in sauce. On the Star last year, she had to wait over 45 minutes and three tries before one meal was correct. (it took a Maitre’d going back into the kitchen to watch the preparation). On the Dawn this year, EVERY meal that was placed before her was correct and it took no extra time!! (even in LaTratatoria) There was one occasion in Impressions, when the waiter, Ed (or Eduardo) came up to her with a covered plate and said: “Maam, I’m sorry, the kitchen messed up your order, I will take this back and get it corrected myself, immediately.” He went back and STAYED in the kitchen to make sure they got it right. He was back within 5 minutes and placed the plate in front of her. (the hottest meal she said she ever had served to her by the way.) Many times on past NCL cruises, mom and dad have stayed behind in the restaurants while the rest of us ran off to shows because they were still eating due to the delay in her food, not on the Dawn, they finished their meals on time with the rest of us! FANTASTIC!

2.) We had many waiters/waitresses and we never had a bad one all week. They were always quick, efficient and friendly.

3.) The food itself was good. The portions actually seemed larger than on the Star. I know much has been mentioned about the menu changes, but I noticed nothing really different from last year. Every night there was generally a choice of a beef dish, chicken dish, fish dish and vegetarian dish on the main menus. (and of course, you can get grilled strip steak or grilled chicken, Caesar or house salad and baked potato every night if nothing else meats your fancy.) I will agree that the selection of salads and appetizers has diminished as they have merged those two sections together, but there were still many choices and sometimes it was hard to choose which ones! Dessert selection actually seemed larger with the introduction of frozen yogurt each night. My father and I both got sick the day after eating the beef Wellington but we think it was from the rich sauce and not the meat. (of course two others in our party got sick and they ate in a different restaurant that night.)

The only change that I might make in the dining operations would be to publicize the main restaurant menu “themes” at the beginning of the cruise in order to better help people select specialty restaurants. For example: we dined in LaTratatoria on Monday night and also had reservations for there on Thursday. On Tuesday, we dined in Impressions and found they had their “Italian Menu” that night. (which is extremely similar to that in LaTratatoria). Since you have to make reservations for the specialty restaurants in advance, it would help to avoid these situations if you knew the main restaurant menus at the beginning of the week.

With different tastes in the group, we split up some nights and ended up with 3 times in Impressions, 1 in Aqua, 2 in LaTratatoria, 2 in Cagney’s and 2 in Bamboo (but not me, I don’t like oriental food.) Some tried to get into Salsa, but by Monday afternoon when they decided to try it, it was all booked up except for late times and so we didn’t make it there. I have never been to a pay specialty restaurant until this cruise but have listened on here as people rave about Cagney’s. I am now a convert!! It was definitely worth the extra money for the food. Fantastic. The group going to Bamboo also raved about it.

4.) Maitre’d’s: Fantastic. On other ships the Maitre’d’s have seemed somewhat aloof and didn’t interact much. The Maitre’d’s on this ship were all over the place in the restaurants. Constantly checking on you and jumping in to help where needed. (our waitress in Impressions got slammed and three tables of food came out at once, the Asst. Maitre’d went right over and helped her serve the food quickly!) Instead of telling someone to fill your glasses, they personally would grab a pitcher and do it! Haven’t seen this on other ships. The Maitre’d’s also work in the Garden Café for breakfast and lunch and so you get to see them a lot and we got well acquainted with many. Some that I would like to mention: Julito, the Head Maitre’d in Impressions was my second favorite, he is great and a runs a tight ship! The Asst. Maitre’d in Impressions (didn’t catch her name, short blond lady), was my parent’s favorite. She ALWAYS came up to them at any meal and talked to them and took care of them. Greta and Ramona in LaTratatoria are also excellent as is Edgar in Aqua.

Now for my favorite Maitre’d and my favorite crew member on ANY NCL cruise: Sunny from Cagney’s. We met Sunny the first night on board when we dined in Cagney’s and it was almost like he became a part of the family after that. No crew member has done as much for us. He asked us where we were going to dine the rest of the week and we told him we had only planned the first three nights but only had made reservations for the first night. He then personally called Julito in Impressions and Ramona in LaTratatoria and not only made us reservations for Sunday and Monday, but also informed them about my mom’s dietary problems. Later in the week, my mom couldn’t find anything on the lunch buffet that she could eat and Sunny, who was working the lunch shift, saw her, realized the problem and went back and had them make a hamburger just for her that he personally delivered to her! The same day at lunch (Wednesday), he asked where we were dining that night and we told him that we were planning on Aqua but didn’t have reservations. Bingo….he calls Edgar and we have reservations for that night. One of our group also won a Latitudes prize of a free meal for two in LeBistro. They looked at the menu and didn’t like any of the choices in LeBistro so they went to Sunny who said, sure, you can use it in Cagney’s! Once again, putting the customer first!! Sunny’s final act was on Friday night. Most of the party went to Cagney’s but my dad and I just didn’t feel like eating a big meal because we had been sick. They told Sunny that we were just going to have toast for dinner from room service and he said: “I will take care of that, they need to eat.” He then sent one of his waiters down to our rooms with a huge plate of toast and four bowls of chicken soup! (two bowls each!) Sunny was the best!!!! I hope NCL hangs on to him!!!!!!

Like I said earlier, I can’t say enough about the hotel operations on this ship!!! One sidelight, some of us were wondering if NCL doesn’t bring their best food service people to the Dawn due to the exposure this ship gets. One girl said that she had been recently transferred from the Jewel in Europe and was going to finish her current “contract” on the Dawn instead of the Jewel. (now wouldn’t the older Dawn in the Caribbean normally be considered a “downgrade” from the newer Jewel in Europe?) Hmmmmmmm.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Gift Shop: Not much to say here, except that I don’t think the selection was a good as it was on the Star or Pride of Aloha. Sizes were more limited and they ran out of my size and said there “were no more on the ship.” (of course this was the evening before our arrival back into New York) Most of the shop is taken up by the Columbian Emeralds jewelry shop and the liquor area and that limits the space for other items. Hint #4: Don’t buy items in the gift shop the first few days of the cruise. They mark the prices down about Tuesday. Funny Story #5: They have “liquor tasting” on some evenings on the ship. It is simply a way for you to try the different offerings. They serve you about a small amount in a small paper soufflé cup. I was back there one evening and a guy walked up for his sample. The clerk poured him his choice and handed the cup to him. The guy looked in the cup and looked up and said quite seriously and angrily: “Is that all I get?” The clerk looked nervous, but I laughed out loud at the guy as I did find it humorous. He stared at me and stalked off. I then said to clerk: “should have told him it’s a tasting and not a buffet!” We both laughed.

Shore Excursions & Staff: The selection of excursions was great. Hard to make choices. We pre booked most of our tours on line. Took me several tries to get everything corrected and one tour did not come through online for my cabin. (it did for the others.) Not a problem, just went to the desk the first day and got on it. Tickets were waiting for us for all our tours in our cabins upon arrival. I didn’t have much interaction with the shore excursion staff, but when I did they were friendly and helpful. On the piers, they were extremely polite and would answer your questions. On the Star and especially the Aloha, I found the Shore Excursion people to be more rigid on shore. (“stand over there” “wait here” “we’ll let you know when” in somewhat commanding tones.) The Dawn staff was much more polite.

Port and Shopping Consultant: Ok, here is a change that NCL is making. They are changing the Port and Cruise Consultant to just Port and Shopping and making the “Latitudes Director” in charge of Cruise Consultation. (more on that later). Duncan was interesting and knew his stuff about jewelry but Duncan ol’ boy (he is English), there is more to shopping than JEWELRY! Tell us about other stuff and other places to shop besides Del Sol and Jewelry stores.

Latitudes Manager & Team: I like the idea of having someone specifically assigned to handle Latitudes members (over 350 on our ship he said), but this guy, Matt, was terrible. The Latitudes reception on Tuesday (sea day) was very nice, but EVERYBODY on board got sick and tired of hearing about “the new Bonus Rewards Program.” They had at least 6 or 7 “Champagne Receptions to unveil the new program.” Yes, it’s nice but the word overkill comes to mind now when I think about it. Most people at the Latitudes Reception had been at the Champagne Reception the day before so why go over the entire program AGAIN!!!! Nice prizes at the reception. (I didn’t win anything....as usual, lol!) Now my biggest complaint about the Latitudes Manager comes with his “Future Cruise Presentation.” I went to it to hear about the new Pearl and Gem and future plans. It was the WORST presentation! So much mis-information given by this guy, it was ridiculous! He talked almost exclusively about cruises for the remainder of this year. Most people only take a cruise once a year so they won’t be going again this year. The booklets they had to distribute were from this year, not the new ones with next summer in it. He talked about all the ships in the fleet individually which was nice but he made lots of mistakes. (how many times did he refer to the Crown as the “baby” of the fleet…..too many!) I sat there shaking my head and wanting to yell out: “No, you idiot that’s wrong.” (but I didn’t) Let me list a few:

1.) The Crown WILL NOT be sailing South America and Bermuda for many years to come. She is leaving the fleet next year!

2.) The Wind is also leaving after next summer and this fall and next spring will be the final “Fire & Ice” tours on her! I would have jumped at promoting the Sun moving to Hawaii in Fall 2007. That would have peaked a lot of people’s interests I’m sure!

3.) NCL will not have 14 ships for your sailing pleasure. Yes they are adding the Pearl and the Gem, but the Crown and Wind (and probably Majesty, which he never talked about) are leaving the fleet by the end of 2007!

4.) The NCL website is updated with next year’s itineraries and information. (he kept saying, “they haven’t updated the website yet.” YES, they have!!!)

And the biggest blunder of all:

5.) He was talking about the new Pearl and said that it was going to be the first ship with a bowling alley as well as other upgrades. He then said that he was anxious to see the deck plans for the Pearl to see where they were going to fit everything in but the deck plans aren’t available yet. HUH????? I, like many Cruise Critic members, have studied the deck plans for the Pearl for a couple of months now!!!!!!! (Again, I was tempted to yell: “its on Deck 7 Aft in the new nightclub area, you can see the plans on NCL.com!” -- but I refrained.)

These are just a few of the blunders he made in talking about NCL cruises. For a while I wondered if he even worked for NCL since he didn’t seem to know as much about the itineraries and ships as I did. (I so wanted to help him answer questions as I hate misinformation being given.)

Please NCL, replace this guy or at least give him some training!

Cruise Director/Staff/Activities/ Entertainment: Ok, I tried Bingo for the first time on a cruise. (didn’t win…..as usual…everyone else did…) The verdict is still out for me on the electronic bingo machines. The machine does all the work, where is the fun of seek and find and punch or mark!! Still fun and you are welcome NCL for my hefty donation…… Ingrid, the Assistant Cruise Director was very good at Bingo and she and her staff made it fun. Nice job. The family members who went to the game shows and parties said they were nice. The entertainers on board (Gleason Magic and Second City) were very good. I liked the first Jean Ann Ryan show but hated the second (“Bollywood”). It was quite boring and the dance and acrobat moves were simply rehash of the first nights moves. How many times can the featured acrobatic dancing couple do the same thing!!! On other cruises, the JAR company put on three different shows that were all good, on this ship, they put on two. (one mediocre and the other bad.)

Matt, the cruise director, just rubbed me the wrong way. He seemed very juvenile in his actions. It was all about being silly instead of being funny. He always appeared to be a loner. On other NCL cruises, the CD and ACD usually would be seen together quite a bit and I’m not sure I ever saw Matt and Ingrid together except during the Liar’s Club. Matt may be a good cruise director, but I personally didn’t care for him.

Once again there were plenty of day activities to keep you busy including paper folding, towel animal making, fitness classes, art auctions, trivia contests, pool games and bingo.

Itinerary/Ports: I hated this itinerary. Not the ports, but the time in the ports. It is too short. Too much sea time on this cruise for me and almost seemed like they wanted you on the ship as much as possible. (hmm, casino, bingo, Galleria, spa are all charge events) When we booked this cruise, it was a day in Port Canaveral, a day in Miami, a day in GSC and a day in Nassau. Then they changed it and replaced the Florida stops with Bermuda, adding an extra sea day. Let me review why I think it is too short:

1.) Bermuda: Because of her size, the Dawn docks at Kings Wharf and not Hamilton or St. George. Not much to do at Kings Wharf, so you have to ferry over to Hamilton. If you do a tour in the morning, your time in Hamilton is limited and you have to allow time for the ferry. (Hint: Take the ferry from King’s Wharf to Hamilton. Same price as bus but much quicker and great view of the ship on the return.)

2.) Great Stirrup Cay: We were late getting there, but they gave us an extra hour. We arrived at 9:00 and they started tendering over at 9:30 or so. It was 11:30 before the last group was brought over from the ship. All aboard was at 4:30 but most people were back before that. Our friends who stayed on the ship said it was like having a ship to themselves since over 2000 people went ashore. (This stop is fine time wise.)

3.) Nassau: Now here is where they should definitely add more time. We were late getting into Nassau and it was 9:15 before people could start getting off the ship. Only a few shops were open in town and almost all of those were the big jewelry stores and Del Sol. Since only a few shops were open, they were so crowded that I skipped most of them. At Diamonds International, everyone was stopping in for a free bracelet and it was a madhouse. I started looking at some lovely blue jewelry in a case that really caught my eye (rare for jewelry to catch my eye.) But after getting shoved away from the case three times by rude people pushing their way through to get back to the free bracelet area, I gave up and walked out. Potential missed sale there!

There were no “souvenir” shops open besides t-shirt shops. A real bummer for us.

On Thursday, most people have their tours in the morning and with “all aboard” at 11:30, there is no way to go shopping after your tours. So no real souvenirs from Nassau for us.

My suggestion would be to reverse the itinerary and hit Great Stirrup Cay or Nassau first and then going on to Bermuda. Perhaps that would allow you better hours in Nassau.

Casino: Very similar to the Star, but only one entrance/exit to this one where on the Star there were two. Seemed more smoky than the Star too. I like the location of the cashiers better however. Much more convenient. I did try my luck this year but the money I had allocated didn’t last very long. Several of my traveling companions who did use the casino did win some money. (not large sums.) Again, I didn’t win anything here…lol.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Photo Gallery: My biggest complaint about the entire cruise is this department. The rudest, most unprofessional operation I have ever seen. It was all about making as much money as they could off you and they frankly didn’t care! Whenever they were taking pictures, they would not listen to what people wanted; they basically TOLD people what they were going to do. I wasn’t alone in my feeling that is seemed like their attitude was: “we know what we want and who cares about what you want.” (a group of us on tour one day were even joking about the photo people saying….”oh my, what are we going to do on this tour without the photo people to tell us what we will like and what we should do.” -- and it wasn’t anyone in my group that started the joking about them.)

If I was in charge of NCL, I would fire this bunch as they are an embarrassment to the company. These guys must take their lead from the customer service department on land for as much mis-information and outright lies that they tell. Let me give several examples as well as hints to avoid these vultures.

1.) They put up signs on the embarkation photos: “Embarkation Photos will be taken down mid-cruise and will no longer be available.” Lie #1. They were still up the last day of the cruise, only the sign was gone. BEST HINT: Don’t buy embarkation pictures until later in the week when they start running specials. (Funny Story: the dates on the Embarkation Photos were wrong. We sailed on June 17, but the pics said June 15!!!)

2.) The usually put two pictures together and call them a “set.” For example, dining room pictures have one picture of you with a lovely border showing the restaurants, while the second picture does not have the border. Nice, you can choose which one you want….WRONG, you have to take both pictures or neither picture as they won’t sell you just one.

3.) Don’t try to get a group shot at the ports as you are getting off the ship. Yes they have people in costume as you get off and yes they take your picture, BUT they will not take group pics, only single pics. Again, appears to be another effort to force you to buy more pictures. My wife snuck her head in behind my daughter and the pirate in Nassau and got yelled at by the photographer, but it ended up being the only port picture that we (or anyone on our group bought) since they refused to do group shots. (again, you have to buy two picture sets though!)

4.) They kept rearranging the photo gallery!!!! You would find your picture and then when you came back it was clear across the gallery and you had to find it again. I can see condensing areas as pictures sell, but don’t move whole series all over the place!!

5.) On the Star, it was generally hard to find someone in the photo area except at the counter. On the Dawn, the “hovered” over you and if you walked more than a few feet with the pictures, they would ask you what you were doing. It made many of us feel very uncomfortable and seemed like they were so scared that one person may steal a picture! Never felt that way on the Star.

Rudeness: Several comments made by the photo staff to people in my group and things I overheard:

1.) When asked if you could just buy one of the two pictures in a set, someone in my group was met with: “No, you HAVE to buy both of them, that is why we call them a set.” “But I only want the one my friend replied. “Take both or nothing” was the curt response.

2.) I was walking through the photo area on the last sea day taking pictures of the public areas on the ship. (I was on my way to Bamboo from the Grand Atrium) I had my camera in my hand as I walked through the photo area and was told very loudly and rudely: “You can’t have that out in this area.” To which I replied: “I am going to take a picture of Bamboo if you don’t mind.” To which I was met with: “Just don’t think of taking any in this area.” (not that I would want to.) After my Bamboo picture, I went through the main Photo area to Dazzles and I was followed through the photo area and watched closely as I took my pictures of Dazzles. (being very careful not to get a shot that might remotely have any of their photo gallery in it….probably be thrown in prison for 10 years for that…lol)

Just don’t understand why their paranoia on this ship.

3.) Another lady had selected one of her pictures and took it to the desk and asked for another copy because the one in the case had a smudge on it from someone handling it. The counter attendant very rudely told her that if she wanted another copy she would have to pay for a reprint. She protested that she shouldn’t have to since the one on display was smudged. “Take it or leave it” was the curt response.

4.) The final blow came on the night we decided to take our group picture. We decided to wait until later in the week and not fight the crowds on formal night. The night before, my parents stopped by the photographer in the Grand Atrium and spoke to him about our group shot. On the Star we had always done our group photos on the winding metal staircase on the starboard side and we had seen them doing those on this ship. The photographer said, not a problem but because of our large group and the many sub groups within that would want pictures, we should arrive early. My parents ask him if we could do it at 5:00 p.m. since we had dinner reservations for 5:45. “Not a problem, it will be before our regular time and that will help us get you through” was the reply.

We showed up at 5 minutes to 5:00 on the night. A different photographer was setting up the backdrop area and my parents approached him and told him of the conversation the night before. “You are wrong” he replied to them. “We don’t start taking pictures until 6:00 p.m., it is in the Freestyle Daily.” My parents said they knew that, but that they had spoken to a photographer the night before and arranged the 5:00 time on the stairs. “No one would say that” was the reply, “The Freestyle Daily says 6:00.” My mom then replied to him: “I don’t care what the Freestyle Daily says, we were told 5:00 by a photographer.” She turned and walked back toward the stairs on the other side of the Atrium where the rest of us were waiting. The clod of a Photographer then ran over to the rack of Freestyle Daily’s, grabbed one and chased my mom down with it and attempted to show her what it said. She pushed it away and said: “it doesn’t matter, we were told something different.” That is when the real outrage occurred: the photographer said to my mother: “You are wrong, nobody told you that.” My dad was furious because he had just basically called my mother a liar. (luckily I wasn’t there, I would have probably punched the little weasel.) Dad then told the photographer it would be best for him to leave us alone and the guy slithered off and disappeared down the corridor.

Instead of getting mad and complaining or making a scene, we decided to do it ourselves. We had been on the Star and done a similar set-up on the steps and we had a digital camera so we knew what to do. We took all the individual family shots within our large group. All that was left to do was the large group shot but we would need someone to take it. Who just happens to walk by at that point…….but RAY, the guy from earlier in the cruise who had solved our party problems! We told Ray what had happened. He rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. We asked Ray if he could take our group picture. He put down the box he was carrying and said “Sure.” He then spent about 10 minutes helping get us set-up and then took several shots because he kept seeing things he didn’t like in the pictures. He was better than the photographers!! Ray saved the day once again. My sister-in-law’s sister took the disc home with her and is making picture prints for all of us! From what she just told me, they look as good as the ones we saw in the photo gallery of others!

In the end, the Photo Department on the Dawn lost out big time on us. Based on the prices of the photos in the gallery, I have figured that our group would have spent between $700-$800 easily on the formal pictures. Instead we are getting them for the cost of photo paper! After the photographer called my mother a liar, we decided that we were done buying pictures on the ship and so we never went back and they lost even more money. So, Dawn photo staff, if you care, your lying, rudeness and unprofessionalism cost you over $1000 of our business on this cruise.

I will be sharing this story with NCL Home office as well. I have never seen such unprofessionalism, rudeness, and downright arrogance by anyone EVER at NCL as this whole group.

 

The photo department was the WORST part of the cruise.

Disembarkation: As you already know they were doing routine maintenance on one of the engines on our return and that made us late returning to New York on June 24. First we were supposed to be an hour late, then on Friday morning we were told it would be two hours or 12 noon. About 5:00 p.m. on Friday, our group got letters in our staterooms that said that due to the late return to New York, they had rescheduled us on later flights. Good news and bad news there… Good that NCL foresaw the problem and corrected the day before instead of waiting to the last minute. Bad: we were supposed to fly out at 3:00 and home at 5:00 with a direct flight. Now we didn’t fly out until 7:00 with a connection in Dulles and not getting home until 11:00. But I am thankful that they not only got us rescheduled but were able to keep us on the same flights! (couldn’t be easy needing 11 seats…..) Nice job NCL!

We had to be out of our rooms by 10:00 a.m. so that they could be cleaned for the next group and so everyone was herded into the lounges. My complaint here is that NCL’s brochure says that you can remain in your rooms until disembarkation, but from what I understand, being kicked out of your rooms early is a weekly occurrence on the Dawn. Don’t print something that is not true. If that truly is the case, then change the brochures so that the mis-information stops.

HINT: Go to Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 12 to wait. There were very few people there while the lounges and public rooms on the lower decks were jammed with people. It was also a very nice place to watch the sail into New York. Get there early and grab some seats by the big windows on the port side. Of course our sail in was overcast and rainy but still nice views. When they call you for disembarkation, simply go to the forward elevators outside the Spinnaker and go down to Deck 7 and get right off. We did.

We pulled alongside about 11:45 a.m. and they began calling Express Disembarkation about 12:30 p.m.. Because of the late arrival, many people took the Express Disembarkation option. So many in fact that they had to break up Express Disembarkation by Deck. We had NCL transportation and were in the third group after Express to be called. There were plenty of signs and crew to direct you off and it was quick. Finding our luggage in the terminal was easy and Customs was much easier than in Seattle or Honolulu. We were on the street by 1:15 p.m.

Now is where the problem started. There was no one out there to tell us which way to go to find out bus to the airport from NCL. So, we parked most of the party with the luggage and two of us started out each direction to check the busses. I asked three NCL employees where the transfer buses were but they all just shook their heads at me and didn’t know. (except the one NCL employee in what appeared to be fancy room steward outfit, butler perhaps, who was too busy talking on his cell phone in his native language and just waved me away.) Finally my sister in law found someone from NCL who had been looking for us. So we found the bus! We then boarded the bus and were told that we were waiting for others on the list. After 45 minutes of waiting on the bus, one of us went out and talked to the NCL guy because my sister in law’s sister had a 4:30 flight (she was going to a different city than us) and it was already after 2:00. The NCL guy said that he was still missing several people but we (and the bus driver) explained that if we didn’t leave soon, they might miss their flight. The NCL guy then told the bus driver to leave with what he had. I don’t know if the other people showed up later or if they had found other transportation to the airport.

Final Thoughts: In spite of the mess that NCL created at the beginning, this turned out to be an excellent cruise. Although I didn’t really enjoy the ports of call due to the rush factor, the onboard experience was excellent. The positive services that we received FAR exceeded the negative experiences with the photo department. I can’t say that I will sail this particular itinerary again, but I won’t rule out another trip on the Dawn, perhaps after she relocates. I would love to do a Canada/New England Cruise, but since those are only offered in the fall, those of us on “school” schedules cannot do those. I wish NCL would make a summer offering of those sometime.

[unclepaulie]

Photo Gallery:........I will be sharing this story with NCL Home office as well. I have never seen such unprofessionalism, rudeness, and downright arrogance by anyone EVER at NCL as this whole group.

 

Great, extensive review!

 

I had mentioned my disappointment with the Photo Gallery in my review as well, and mine was based on one visit. Longer story short, when I asked the "blond crewcut guy" if he could help me find some pictures to make a 3PM deadline, he said "As you can see I'm busy" (nothing in his hands and straightening out a couple pictures in the display).

 

I'm sorry to hear your group experienced so many problems with them. Like you said, it was THEIR loss!

[Host CMLA]

Fantastic review Keystone! I'm happy you had a good time. Did you by chance run into the tenants of your previous rooms? Just wonder if you ever found out anything about them. :) As for the photo staff...I think NCL subcontracts the photo gallery. Yes, they still represent NCL. I'm just saying I think they're subcontractors. It didn't use to be that way. One of the best crew members on any cruise I've ever taken was a photographer on my Singapore to Sydney cruise. Again...great review!

[ute_fan]

I think Cecilia should be a cruise photographer. With those adorable baby pictures, I'm sure you would do a wonderful job :D . Of course, you might want to wait until he's a little older....

 

Wonderful review, Keystone. I'm glad you were able to have such an enjoyable cruise after all your pre-cruise problems. It seems like a lot of the posters on these boards that have bad pre-cruise experiences can't get over them enough to enjoy their cruise.

[4merlurker]

Keystone, Loved the review! So glad you had a wonderful time in spite of it all!!!! While you were gone I thought about you guys everytime I checked the web cam lol! I am happy it all worked out for you and your family!

 

~Connie

[immargaret]

Awsome review Keystone, Can't wait to get on the DAWN on Saturday.

 

Did you have a CC meeting on the ship?

[Zeno]

Keystonecruiser:

What a great detailed review!! I am glad to hear that except for the rude morons in the Photo Shop, your on-board experience was so nice. I am really impressed with how well they handled your mother's allergy problems.

[smeyer418]

Great review. I love the Dawn. Three ships in Manhattan is a challenge.. Last summer there were days that there were 5!!!!! I do think the Dawn has the best food of the fleet. I also think the Dawn has the classiest decor. I agree about the itineriary but this is a vast improvement over the Florida one. I think the problem with what day it goes to bermuda is that Bermuda is so crowded the slots are rationed and you can't get the day you want. Bermuda will be expanding the Dockyards so that it can take two Dawn sized ships.

 

What did the NYPD do that you felt they weren't good(it may have been in there but I didn't see it)...sometimes the Traffic people are as clueless as some of the Port people...I think the SS Latitudes sailed on Friday....

[hotspur]

Quite possibly the most useful review ever posted here. Many thanks for your considerable effort in posting it for us.

[gsc500]

Thanks for the Great review! Loved the details. Glad you have a wonderful cruise with your family.

[CruisinMatt]

Did you by chance run into the tenants of your previous rooms?

 

Exactly! I was awaiting your review to find this out!!

[KeystoneCruiser]

I had mentioned my disappointment with the Photo Gallery in my review as well, and mine was based on one visit. Longer story short, when I asked the "blond crewcut guy" if he could help me find some pictures to make a 3PM deadline, he said "As you can see I'm busy" (nothing in his hands and straightening out a couple pictures in the display).

 

The blond crewcut guy is the guy who chased my mom down and called her a liar! (did you by chance get his name????)

 

Speaking of straightening pictures...did it also bother you that they kept rearranging the photo gallery?? I can see condensing picture cases as they are sold, BUT they would move entire sections from one end of the place to the other!!! (no wonder he THOUGHT he was busy!:D :D )

[KeystoneCruiser]

To answer everyone's burning question about the tennants of our previous room: It appeared to be a family. The parents in one room and their teenage girls in the next. I never did see who was in the third room. (this was not the loud, obnoxious family that I mentioned in my review, they were forward of us)

 

Since the problem was resolved, I never confronted them but like all of you, I was dying to see who it was!!! (it wasn't until Monday that I actually saw them all coming out togeter)

 

Even though NCL solved the problem, I will continue to believe that we were switched to provide this family with those connecting rooms for whatever reason. I also believe (and again this is only my opinion) that somebody put pressure on somebody or cashed in some favors to get those rooms. (why else would NCL just up and move us?) But that is all water under the bridge and I would like to now close that chapter of this "adventure."

[KeystoneCruiser]

As for the photo staff...I think NCL subcontracts the photo gallery. Yes, they still represent NCL. I'm just saying I think they're subcontractors.

 

I think you are right. I believe the photo gallery, Gift Shops and Art Auctions are all subcontractors for NCL.

 

They should bring the crew that we had on the Star last year over. They were fantastic. Always friendly, always making jokes. They took the time to set up great shots and they listened to what you wanted in your picture. One of our most favorite pictures from any of our NCL cruises is a disembarking photo last year of the three of us in Victoria. (did you hear that Dawn Photo Staff: Three people in ONE photo when we got off in a port, it is ok to do unless you are greedy)

 

The Star Photographers answered your questions politely.

 

It still bugs me that you have to buy two of the same shot on the Dawn. I can't imagine most people wanting two of the same. (oh that is why, people won't BUY two unless they are forced to. That way the photo department can make more money....)

[Trece]

We were on the Dawn the week before and I totally agree about the silliness of the photo policies. We are photo-holics and usually buy everything unless we look truly frightening :eek: , but the policy about buying in sets, and the policy about not allowing more than one person in a port disembarkation photo, were both stunningly bad policies. As a result, we bought none of the port disembarkation photos. Another dumb policy was that we coincidentally met two couples from the town where DH works & his parents live. We had a photo taken of the three couples at dinner. The photographer took two shots. In one, someone had their eyes closed. The other was perfect. They printed just one copy of the perfect photo (also, just one copy of the bad photo). I happened to get there first & bought the good photo (as a set, of course, with another photo!!). Since there was no "good" photo set for them to buy, I've scanned them and they will be printing their own. I'm sure they would have bought them if they were there. Normally table photos of couples are printed in duplicate, triplicate, or whatever. It just made no sense, and the lack of any pricing lists posted near the photos was aggravating too.

 

It pains me to say one thing in defense of the photographers and that is that the color of the photos and the quality of the paper was nicer than I've seen in quite some time on a number of other cruise lines. Also, when all was said and done, the PRICE of each photo was decent - it's just that I don't feel I got to select the photos I wanted, and ones I wanted (two of us together disembarking) were never taken!

 

Besides the photo issue, my comment card had only one other complaint and that was the smoking. I'm not that much of a fanatic about it, and I'm not allergic to it, but our neighbors "upwind" were heavy smokers and there were times we had to leave our balcony & shut the door as well. Also, their butts ended up on our balcony carpet and after the Star Princess fire that was a concern.

 

This was our first NCL cruise and we really enjoyed it a lot! :D But I'm glad, given the photo policy, that we had mastered the art of holding our own digital camera at arm's length (DH's arm which is longer) and taking our own photos of ourselves. We have it down pretty well now, after admittedly chopping off our own heads a few times! ;)

 

Keystone, I enjoyed your review & I'm glad everything worked out!

[unclepaulie]

The blond crewcut guy is the guy who chased my mom down and called her a liar! (did you by chance get his name????)

 

Speaking of straightening pictures...did it also bother you that they kept rearranging the photo gallery?? I can see condensing picture cases as they are sold, BUT they would move entire sections from one end of the place to the other!!! (no wonder he THOUGHT he was busy!:D :D )

 

No, I didn't get his name. I was so upset with him, I just walked away. Ironically, my son had his picture taken with him on our digital camera. It's not the best identifying picture, but you can have a copy if you'd like. Email me at barbc@epix.net

 

I find the moving of pictures frustrating, but I guess I can see why they do it too. They're merely showcasing the recent pics out front, as they shuffle the previous ones to the back. Notice how they also showcase the portraits in the hallway. Just marketing their work.

 

Personally, I can't understand why they don't just let PAX look at digitized versions and print them out if a purchase is made. It would waste far less photo paper and avoid our aggravation in finding the pictures!

[ILoveScotland]

KeystoneCruiser, thanks for a great and very informative review. DH and I board the Dawn on August 5th, and your comments about the ports seals my decision not to book any excursions in either Bermuda or Nassau. I think we'd prefer to simply take the ferry across to Hamilton and wander around. DH is not a night person, so we'll stay on the ship the night we arrive in Nassau and go ashore for some more walking around in the morning.

 

I do have one question. You mentioned that all your cabins were on Deck 11 and one of those was a BA. We're in a BA on Deck 11, and it appears to me from the deck plans that the balcony for BAs on Deck 11 is bigger than the balcony for BAs on other decks. Am I correct?

 

Again, great review. Thanks.

[sweetpea-2]

excellent, interesting, extensive review....as reviews go this is an A++++++++

[Vyhanek]

I also enjoyed your review. They really went all out to accomodate the dietary requirements. That is a rare find in cruising these days!

 

On the room mix up. I have been on Cruise Critic for a couple of years now. Your case with the room mix up is not unique. I remember a few times where passangers booked adjoining rooms and then later find out when the final docs come that their room assignments have been changed. I don't think it was super unusual or that the people who were able to book your room had any significant pull. I think the reservation agents have some way of over riding the reservations and for one reason or another it happens. That's why when I needed adjoining rooms for our family with two young children the reservation agent insisted that it was company policy that one adult must be booked in each room. This way it covers their hineys when the group gets seperated. Its not terribly unusual for that to happen.

[KeystoneCruiser]

I find the moving of pictures frustrating, but I guess I can see why they do it too. They're merely showcasing the recent pics out front, as they shuffle the previous ones to the back. Notice how they also showcase the portraits in the hallway. Just marketing their work.

 

I was on the Star in 2005 and they did not move the pictures around. They would just add the new photos to new sections. The only movement was to condense sections.

 

In addition, the Star had the pictures labeled so that you could find them easier. (On the embarkation photos, they had them in sections based on the hour you embarked. ex: "Embarkation 2-3:00 p.m." They did the same with the disembarkation photos.) Wait, if they took the time to label everything, that would take time away from their more important duty of being rude to customers. (lol)

 

The paper and color of the photos used on the Star is the same as the ones on the Dawn.

 

Like I said before, on the Star, YOU told the photographer who you wanted in your picture. You were also allowed to buy just one copy.

 

It is so obvious why they have the stupid rules about one person only in disembarkation pics and only buying pics in sets: TO ATTEMPT TO SELL MORE!! It appears that it is backfiring on them.

 

TO FUTURE DAWN CRUISERS: Don't get taken in by this rinky dink photo operation on the Dawn. 1.) Don't worry about buying your embarkation photos early in the week....their sign about taking them down is a lie.

 

2.) Go ahead and try to put more than one person in your disembarkation photo. If they won't do it, just put your hand in front of your face and let them waste their film. (or do like my wife did and sneak in behind the others in your party just as they are snapping the picture -- it is actually a good picture of my daughter and her.)

 

3.) Ask them if you can only buy one picture and when they rudely tell you no, tell them you don't want any then because of their racket.

 

4.) MOST IMPORTANT: Write on your comment card your thoughts about these photo department policies.

 

I am writing two letters to NCL about my cruise. In one, I am complimenting them for the great cruise that I had and in the second, I am going into great detail about the photo department on the Dawn and urging NCL to replace the whole bunch or at least force changes in the policy.

 

The more letters and negative comments NCL gets, the more likely they are to do something. Improving the Dawn photo department is my new mission in making NCL cruising better!

[KeystoneCruiser]

KeystoneCruiser, thanks for a great and very informative review. DH and I board the Dawn on August 5th, and your comments about the ports seals my decision not to book any excursions in either Bermuda or Nassau. I think we'd prefer to simply take the ferry across to Hamilton and wander around. DH is not a night person, so we'll stay on the ship the night we arrive in Nassau and go ashore for some more walking around in the morning.

 

I do have one question. You mentioned that all your cabins were on Deck 11 and one of those was a BA. We're in a BA on Deck 11, and it appears to me from the deck plans that the balcony for BAs on Deck 11 is bigger than the balcony for BAs on other decks. Am I correct?

 

Again, great review. Thanks.

 

As far as the BA's on Deck 11, (there are only four) I was in my friends cabin a couple of times and it honestly seemed to be exactly like the BA we were in the year before. I wasn't on their balcony, but they didn't mention any difference. They did love the location this year, however, directly across from the mid elevator lobby. Very conveinent to everything!

 

I agree, if I were to do this itinerary again, (which I probably won't) I would skip the shore excursions in both ports and just walk around the towns. If you do want to get off on the evening call in Nassau, just go into the terminal building. There are a few nice shops there.

[Host CMLA]

3.) Ask them if you can only buy one picture and when they rudely tell you no, tell them you don't want any then because of their racket.

Better yet, rip them in half. :D That way they know you're seriously not going to buy them. I did that once when I was told I had to buy some keychain photo with the photo taken during the second night's dinner. This was on the Star's maiden voyage, November 2001. I ripped the photos in half and said no thank you. I swear it took 20 seconds for the girl to close her mouth. ;)