Live Review Of Dawn 8/19 - 8/26

[autumns1stangel]

Hi all ~~~

 

I'm going to try to give an ongoing review of the Dawn while we are onboard - I think my memory will be fresher if I write just a few notes each day instead of trying to remember everything when I get home and am mired in unpacking and laundry :-)

 

We live in upstate NY so we took the train down from Albany and arrived in Penn Station around 10:45 AM yesterday. It was only a $10 taxi ride to the pier and we found that we weren't any too early... we waited a little bit, but in total comfort - air conditioned, snacks available, seating available - couldn't have been more pleasant for a waiting experience. We were Latitudes members, but the Latitudes waiting area was filled yesterday since they had 4 or 5 wedding parties to assemble for priority boarding first so they could get their weddings accomplished before muster drill and sailing. I didn't mind that. Their system of boarding was so well thought out that no one felt they were being inconvenienced at all... it was super organized and the best boarding experience I have ever had on any cruise line. Once they started the boarding process (around 11:30ish) it was only a matter of 10 minutes (maybe?) and we were onboard - super, super fast. No ultra long snaking lines - just very organized, professional and a great experience.

 

One thing I have noticed is that they are really making an effort to cut down on the viruses that seem to run rampant on these ships - all passengers were asked to sanitize their hands prior to boarding and there are many highly visible sanitizing stations around the ship available for continuous hand sanitization - I really like that.

 

OK, now we are on the ship - it can only be described as GORGEOUS! I am so completely happy with this ship. Our cabin (category AF - mini suite) has a beautiful balcony and the bathroom is the largest I have ever encountered on a cruise ship - we have a BATHTUB, and there is a sliding door that separates the toilet from the sink/tub area - plenty of room to change clothes if you need to, and you can shave your legs, ladies without having to stick your foot out the shower curtain (which there isn't one - a sliding door instead) and put the foot on the toilet in order to accomplish this necessary feminine task.

 

The food is mediocre in the main dining room - at least what I've had so far - it's definitely passable, but not spectacular. I had jalapeno corn chowder yesterday at lunchtime that was seriously lacking in either corn or jalapeno - not that great, but the mushroom crepes for main course that meal were really nice, so it's kind of hit and miss. We ate at Cagney's steak house for dinner last night and that was spectacular - I had the filet with peppercorn sauce, my oldest son had the whole lobster and my younger one had the surf and turf consisting of a filet and half lobster - all three of us went away stuffed and quite happy.

 

One really nice touch - if you're a wine drinker like me, you'll love this - is that they will sell the wine by the bottle and if you don't drink all of it, they will store it for you. You will receive a slip of paper from whichever restaurant you are in and then when you show up for another meal,(NO MATTER WHAT OTHER RESTAURANT THAT MAY BE IN) they will go find your bottle and serve it to you. Since it is only myself and my two teenage sons, I am obviously the only one drinking so this is a huge help... I can still get the advantage of ordering by the bottle, but no matter which restaurant I choose to eat at the next night, they will find my bottle and send it to my table - what a great service!

 

The only downside I can see so far is the pool really isn't large enough to accomodate the amount of people on the cruise - like the cruise director said at BINGO this AM - "2,500 people and a 9' x 12' pool". That's a little disappointing, but not that big a deal to me - I don't usually frequent the pool anyway too much. I prefer the beaches on port days.

 

To sum it up, the staff is amazingly accomodating, the restaurants are intimate and lovely, the food is pretty good - exceptional in the specialty restaurants, and the ship is lovely and pristine clean.

 

I will try to write more as the week progresses if people want to know more...

 

Happy Cruising, all!

 

Dawn

[seahorse]

Thank You for your positive review......a lot of Newbies are going to love it:D Great details.

 

Being an Oldie:o ........please review the food in detail if you can......I would like to see if there is any difference in the menu.

[oLEEander]

Thank You for your positive review......a lot of Newbies are going to love it:D Great details.

 

Being an Oldie:o ........please review the food in detail if you can......I would like to see if there is any difference in the menu.

 

Hoping for more eggplant Ann?:rolleyes: Actually I'd like to know if they've fine tuned the new menu also .. so details please.

[cdaystravel]

I so appreciate you writing your reviews from the ship. My family will be boarding on Saturday the 26th. As the cruise progresses can you post which evenings are the formal attire. We want to book our reservations for the speciality restaurants as soon as we board and I want to book Cagneys and LeBistro for those evenings. We are also upstate NY'rs, the weather stunk here today, you did not miss a thing!! LOL Thanks a bunch and have a fantastic cruise!!

[lovemygirls]

I sailed on the Dawn 8/12 to 8/19. We had a great cruise. I loved reading your review so far and hope to read more from you. I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!

 

Basebalmom- the 2 formal nights were Sunday & Thursday for us. Thursday it was called "elegent attire", not sure if that's what it was called on Sunday or not. Most people seemed to get more dressed on Sunday though. If you have any other questions let me know, I can try and help.

 

Happy Cruising!

[dancing girl]

Thanks for a great review! ( yes I'm one of those newbies:D ) and I cant get enough...LOL

I'll be on the Dawn this January..cant wait! I have heard that on the first night out the specialty resturants are offered at half price...True or false? and of all the pay resturants we were also planning on going to Cagneys, so I'm happy that you stated it was well worth it. is it true that we have to pay now to use the pool in the spa? (had friends do the Dawn last Thanksgiving) no fee then......Hope not. I'll be checking back Thanks Dancing girl

[boeckli]

Thanks for sharing your experiences - hope you have a great time!

 

Can you please tell me who the captain is on this cruise? - Thanks a lot :)

[seahorse]

Hoping for more eggplant Ann?:rolleyes: Actually I'd like to know if they've fine tuned the new menu also .. so details please.

 

NO........Polenta:p :D

[rpsinnj]

Dawn

 

great revew we were on dawn 7/1 sailing and I must agree with your review about the pool, bingo also lunch and regular dinning room food were good.

 

ON THE DAWN THE STAFF WERE OUTSTANDING AND THE FOOD AND SERVICE IN THE TWO PAID DINNING ROOMS CAGNEYS AND LEBISTRO WAS OUTSTANDING AND WE LOVED SALSA . BECAUSE OF THESE REASONS WE ARE LOOKING INTO BOOKING A NEW YEAR EVE CRUISE ON THE DAWN BECAUSE IT WAS THAT GOOD.:D

[Baitman19]

autums1stangel,

 

Thanks for the start of your blog on the Dawn.

 

We will be sailing in 3 weeks, could you please find out if Claudio, the Concierge will be on the ship for 9/9/06 and who the Cruise Director will be. I know Matt Baker (CD) left for vacation.

 

Thanks and I hope you have GREAT cruise.

 

Monty

[tekmom]

OMG...is the pool really 9' x 12' ???

[autumns1stangel]

Hi all ~~

 

Thanks for reading and responding to my previous post. I will try to answer questions as best I can. After some research (LOL) I found out the name of the Captain is Trond Kildal and the cruise director is Jimmie Blake. I haven't met either, but that's not unusual for me...

 

OK, today we were in Bermuda - lovely! We docked around 8:00 AM. Here's a side note - if you are considering booking this cruise and this itenerary, I think starboard is the place to be. We are in a starboard cabin with balcony and we were able to see the Statue of Liberty from our balcony as we passed by in New York harbour and again in Bermuda today we were able to watch the docking procedure (which I found interesting) from the balcony on the starboard side.

 

I got breakfast at the buffet upstairs and brought it back to the balcony to watch the docking - nice to sip the coffee and watch them dock the ship at the pier. We were booked on the Sight, Sea and Swizzle boat tour, which I really liked. I would definitely recommend it - a nice catamaran ride where they point out the beautiful homes on Bermuda, then a 1 1/2 hour stop in a sandy bay for snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, whatever you want to do - and then endless rum punch! All included - my kind of tour. My 16 year old joined me on this trip and afterwards, we walked over to the Frog and Onion restaurant (easy walk from pier) for a bite of lunch. The prices were a bit high ($11.95 for a calamari appetizer), but I had been warned about that, so I was prepared mentally for it. It was a nice day and we wandered back to the ship around 3:00 PM.

 

Last night we tried the Salsa restaurant for dinner, and I have to admit that the blackened mahi-mahi that I had was a bit spicy for my taste, but I also admit to being a wimp in this category... my younger son loved it and gobbled up my leftovers as well as his own. The older boy said his beef fajitas were great. I really liked the tapas bar that is always open at 5:30 pm to anyone - I sat and munched on artichoke salad and olives before dinner - probably why I didn't eat all my fish! LOL

 

Tonight is going to be dinner at Bamboo - the Asian restaurant. We didn't opt for the hibachi table as we do that at home quite often and thought we'd leave it for others to enjoy who perhaps don't get the opportunity as much as we do. There is only one hibachi table for the ship, so if you are interested in doing this on a future cruise, make sure to book it early on, otherwise you won't get in. The regular menu is quite nice, though and is really pretty easy to get in for - I only booked it a few hours ago after coming back from our catamaran trip, and they were able to accomodate us at 6:30 for tonight.

 

That's all for now - if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask - I'll certainly try to answer for you if I can.

 

Take care, and happy cruising!

 

Dawn

[cdaystravel]

Good review. When you get to GSC you will have to get to the port side to see the tenders coming and to enjoy the docking process in Nassau. The ship backs into the pier slip putting the port side facing inland (straw market, ferry dock and of course Senior' Frogs). Have a great night and I look forward to your review tomorrow!!

 

P.S. Get back to Salsa's or to the Tapas Bar and try the Sangria (they also have a virgin Sangria that your kids can enjoy). It is really yummy!!

 

:D

[judyf]

Thanks for posting a review!

[boeckli]

Hi all ~~

 

Thanks for reading and responding to my previous post. I will try to answer questions as best I can. After some research (LOL) I found out the name of the Captain is Trond Kildal and the cruise director is Jimmie Blake. I haven't met either, but that's not unusual for me...

 

Info about captain appreciated, Dawn. One more favour, please. I was under the impression that Captain Svedung should be taking over the Dawn from this cruise - can you find out if he is on board? - Thanks heaps.

 

Sounds like you are having a good time - enjoy !!

[POOHISME2]

OMG...is the pool really 9' x 12' ???

Here's a picture of the pool on the Dawn

 

http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic?id=6140EnavAvHrQEByaJ8n2WhBjUOyFlUVkPR*v4xQp5Fd3Ig=&size=l

[autumns1stangel]

Hello again ~~~

 

It's dawn on the Dawn - sorry, couldn't help myself - and it doesn't help that my name is also Dawn! Anyway, after a quick bite of breakfast at the buffett, I came down to the internet cafe to check the boards - lots of views and posts - I love it!

 

I will try to find out about a change in captains for you - not sure how far I'll get, because the guy I asked yesterday didn't even know who the captain was on this sailing, but perhaps someone else will be more knowledgable.

 

We enjoyed dinner last night very much at Bamboo. They started with edamame - one of my favorites, then I tried the hot & sour soup - very nicely spiced, with chunks of tofu and nice mushrooms along with chicken - really quite tasty! I was accompanied by DS#1 to dinner, as DS#2 has found a group of friends (including girls!) to hang out with and seems to want to hang out with us as much as he wants to have a trip to the dentist! LOL Anyway, DS#1 is a terribly picky eater, but surprised me by ordering the teriyaki salmon - he doesn't even like fish - and promptly devoured the whole thing, along with the fried rice which he declared "the best ever". I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet & sour pork entree, but the best thing of all was the Ginger Brulee for dessert! Seriously, don't miss it - yummy! That, along with a double espresso and dinner was declared a huge success!

 

After dinner I went to Gatsby's bar for a while to hang out and ran into one of the ladies I met at the singles meet & greet the other night. She and I are going to try to get together later in the week to try Le Bistro together... I can tell from the menu Le Bistro isn't going to be something my kids would like, so I really hope this works out for us - I'd love some nice french food.

 

Just a couple of other thoughts - my thoughts on the "automatic tipping" policy - I wasn't sure how I was going to like this, but having seen the courtesy and overwhelming guest service on this cruise I have decided I like it. I don't feel that I am being "sucked up to" by just the ones who are taking care of me, but rather that all the employees are happy to serve any guest in whatever way they can.... it's a really nice atmosphere on this ship.

 

Also, I had read on the boards before I left that there were questions about guest laundry being available - yes, it is - on my deck (11) there is an inside door marked "guest laundrette". I haven't poked my head in yet, but am glad to know it's there if we need it toward the end of the trip.

 

That's all for now - I'm off to find a nice corner to curl up in and read ~~~~

 

Dawn

[judyf]

Nice review. Sounds like you're having a great time. I loved the Dawn and can't wait to sail her again.

[terri1020]

This is a great review! We are sailing on the Dawn on 10/29/06. We are a group of 8 and were assigned cabins 6500-6502-6504 & 6508. They are the ONLY cabins on Deck 6. We were wondering ,if you got the chance, if you might check the area out for us as information is sketchy from any other source. As you face the stage, they are outside the left exit of the first level of the balcony of the theater.

 

Also, in your opinion, what would be a good place for a CC "meet & greet" at sailaway? We were thinking of the Star Bar or Spinnaker Lounge or Topsiders Bar.

 

Thanks a million and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Terri

[lastingtouch]

Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming!

Could you please find out if Claudio (Concierge) will still be on the ship on Sept. 9th? If you see him tell him the Strattons say hi! :D

 

Have you been to the Star Bar yet for Martini's? If Eka is there, have her make you a "Little Star". They are the best! ;) Don't miss the Martini Clinic, it's a blast!

 

Thanks!

[Nicki61]

We are sailing on the Dawn 8/26 and I can't wait.

I love reading your posts Dawn, they really are very helpful. I am sitting her trying to figure out why it is so important to know who the Captain is? Or why it really matters, as long as they know what they are doing on the bridge, I don't care who the captain is. Am I just totally not understanding something? I mean I don't care who the pilot of my Airplane is, some are smoother at landing than others, but frankly I don't choose my flights by the pilot.

 

Anyway, I have a small question. Does anyone have any info on the amount of people at check in, if we get to the port around 2:30ish?

 

Nicki

[seahorse]

We are sailing on the Dawn 8/26 and I can't wait.

I love reading your posts Dawn, they really are very helpful. I am sitting her trying to figure out why it is so important to know who the Captain is? Or why it really matters, as long as they know what they are doing on the bridge, I don't care who the captain is. Am I just totally not understanding something? I mean I don't care who the pilot of my Airplane is, some are smoother at landing than others, but frankly I don't choose my flights by the pilot.

 

Anyway, I have a small question. Does anyone have any info on the amount of people at check in, if we get to the port around 2:30ish?

 

Nicki

 

I have cruised many times and ....no.....I do not care who the Captain is. I, too do not understand the importance, never did:)

 

2:30ish.......you should not find a long line. Just be careful that you don`t miss the ship:eek: You may get caught in traffic. I have seen many untoward happenings to suggest that you get there earlier and wait. It is not a bad thing to wait.......look what you are waiting for:D

[JAM810]

I really don't care who the captain is either. However I think I can understand for those who cruise on a regular basis may often speak with the captain(s). Maybe have dinner, drinks, etc., etc. Again this would be for those who criuse quite often.

 

Thanks to Dawn on the Dawn for her wonderful daily updates. I sailed on the Dawn in June 2005 and had a wonderful time. I certainly would sail on the Dawn again. Beautiful ship, great staff, great food .... etc., etc.

 

Dawn -- enjoy the rest of your cruise and look forward to the rest of your postings. Nice job! :)

[hotspur]

Just a couple of other thoughts - my thoughts on the "automatic tipping" policy - I wasn't sure how I was going to like this, but having seen the courtesy and overwhelming guest service on this cruise I have decided I like it. I don't feel that I am being "sucked up to" by just the ones who are taking care of me, but rather that all the employees are happy to serve any guest in whatever way they can.... it's a really nice atmosphere on this ship.

Dawn, I'm very much in agreement with your comments on "automatic tipping." I like the idea of knowing that the "courtesy and overwhelming guest service" I experience is not just a facade put on in the hopes of getting $5 per day out of me rather than the customary $3.50, or whatever the actual numbers are these days.

[cdaystravel]

After dinner I went to Gatsby's bar for a while to hang out and ran into one of the ladies I met at the singles meet & greet the other night. She and I are going to try to get together later in the week to try Le Bistro together... I can tell from the menu Le Bistro isn't going to be something my kids would like, so I really hope this works out for us - I'd love some nice french food.

 

Just a couple of other thoughts - my thoughts on the "automatic tipping" policy - I wasn't sure how I was going to like this, but having seen the courtesy and overwhelming guest service on this cruise I have decided I like it. I don't feel that I am being "sucked up to" by just the ones who are taking care of me, but rather that all the employees are happy to serve any guest in whatever way they can.... it's a really nice atmosphere on this ship.

 

Also, I had read on the boards before I left that there were questions about guest laundry being available - yes, it is - on my deck (11) there is an inside door marked "guest laundrette". I haven't poked my head in yet, but am glad to know it's there if we need it toward the end of the trip.

 

That's all for now - I'm off to find a nice corner to curl up in and read ~~~~

 

Dawn

 

 

 

Hi Dawn,

 

Just a quick note..LeBistro has the same filet mignon that Cagney's offers and has a lower cover charge. Your kids might like it after all. I too loved the service and the auto gratuity on this ship. I do see how that topic can be sore for others because I think quality of service is crew & ship specific & therefore can vary. The guest launderette also has two ironing boards and irons. Thanks.