First time on Dawn 8/22/04 SEEKING INFO!!!

[sillybutt]

Hello everyone!!

 

I am so excited. I just got off the phone with NCL, just booked the cruise on Dawn leaving on 8/22/04 going to FL and Bahamas. This is my very first cruise and very first time posting on a forum (took me a few mins just to locate the "register" button)

 

Some background info: I will be traveling with my long time boyfriend in celebration of our annivery. We're both in our mid-twenties and our very first time cruising.

 

Seeking info from those that have been on this ship before!!

 

1. First off, how was the weather at FL, Bahamas and Stirrup if you traveled on the month of August?

 

2. Did any of you choose the horseback trail in Florida at Cocoa beach? If so, how was it? Universal Studios and Seaworld is attractive but seems a little bit expensive and i might not enjoy it as i am not a theme park person

 

3. Anyone tried parasailing at Stirrup? How was it? Price?

 

4. Most importantly, I'm quite confused with the reservation factor of this cruise. When is the first time i can book a table and can i book more than one table at a time? Is there a reservation requirement for the rooms that doesn't require an additional cost as well? Any suggestion on snagging a seat at all the restaurant that you want to go do? Did anyone have trouble doing so?

 

If you can choose one specialty restaurant which one would it be? what did you order/recommendations?

 

5. I know theres an indoor pool within the ship, do we have to pay extra? for the pools on this ship are they deep because i can not swim.

 

6. For formal night, would a backless, sleeveless black dress be inappropriate? For men, would it be inappropriate just to wear a good button down shirt with slacks?

 

7. I booked a BE category guarantee room. Any info on that?

 

Want to thank you everyone in advance for reading this and hopefully ill be getting some wonderful advice from you all!!!!!

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

First-timer:)

[debjo]

For sillybutt...

First let me welcome you to the very addictive Cruise Critic Boards and to the world of cruising. We took our first cruise as a test cruise before our 25th wedding anniversary. We never had even thought about going on a cruise and I was surprised when my husband suggested it. Needless to say, within the first half-hour of being on the ship we were HOOKED! Before our cruise was over, we vowed to ourselves that we would take a cruise every year thereafter. All I can now say is, thank God for credit cards!

 

I'll answer some of your questions based on my observations of the DAWN from our April 2004 cruise:

 

1. Can't tell you what the weather will be like except to anticipate that it will be HOT in August. It was almost too warm for us in April, but it was nice to leave the 50 degree temperatures of the Northeast and be able to wear our summer clothes on the cruise before summer reached our home! There wasn't much difference in temperatures between Florida and the Bahamas. You should be aware that your 1/2 day in Nassau and the full day at Great Stirrup Cay may get switched around if there are any storms in the areas...those days on our cruise got switched. We actually were grateful for the full day in Nassau rather than the full day at GSC. We were also grateful that the Captain made that decision as it gave us two glorious sunny days on our cruise that seemed to be forever in gray cloudy skies! This link to NCL's site will give you some weather information for the time you are sailing: http://www.ncl.com/destinations/bahafla/index.htm

 

2. On our cruise there was another horseback riding excursion at Port Canaveral that I wanted to take...it was a cattledrive. Sadly, when I tried to book it in advance by phone, the NCL representative told me that it had been cancelled. We ended up going to Kennedy Space Center, something the guys were doing anyways. I have to admit, I really was glad that I was able to see all that history up close. Hopefully you'll have better luck booking your horseback riding, since it is with a completely different organization. I didn't hear of anyone on our cruise doing the Happytrails Horseback Riding excursion, so I can't even share those comments with you.

 

3. Since the weather on our cruise was a bit unpredictable, the parasailing was cancelled at GSC because of strong winds. I did notice that the adjacent "private island" for the RCCL ship has people parasailing. If you have taken out travel insurance for your trip, you should read the small print...most travel insurance companies do not cover you if you get injured in a parasailing accident.

 

4. Our experience on the DAWN was the first time we had cruised with a "freestyle dining" concept. I agree, it can be a bit confusing. The DAWN has two reservation only restaurants...SALSA & LA TRATTORIA (actually part of the Garden Buffet that is transformed for dinner time). There is NO additional charge for either of these dining venues, but you must make your reservation in advance. The earliest you can make ANY reservations is the morning of the day before you wish to dine. In other words...make your reservations (at the earliest) on Monday morning if you want to dine on Tuesday night. If you wait too long to make your reservation, you may not get the dining time you need, or worse, there might not be any room available for you.

 

The restaurants that require reservations AND an additional "cover" charge are CAGNEY'S ($20.00 pp), BAMBOO ($10.00 pp), and LE BISTRO ($15.00). Dining venues that require reservations and have additional "a la carte" pricing are the SUSHI BAR, and TEPPENAKI. Note: There are a few menu selections in LE BISTRO that have "a la carte" pricing as well.

 

The areas where the meal is considered "free" and part of your cruise price are the three main dining rooms where you have sit-down waiter service: AQUA (dinner only), IMPRESSIONS (dinner only), and VENETIAN (breakfast, lunch & dinner). Basically, the same dinner is served in each of these three restaurants...the menu changes each evening. In addition, other "free" meals can be found in the GARDEN CAFE buffet (breakfast, lunch & dinner), the BLUE LAGOON (basically deep fried foods & burgers) which is open 24 hours. The BIMINI BAR & GRILL on Deck 13 has fast food most of th time. The PEARLY KINGS PUB has lunch or dinner available on some days. There will be on on-deck BARBEQUE at least once during your cruise, weather permitting. Don't forget that the majority of ROOM SERVICE items are also "free" and included in your cruise fare (but be sure to "tip" the person delivering the food).

 

OTHER EDIBLES THAT WILL COST YOU EXTRA can be found at: JAVA CAFE has coffees & decedant pastries available for purchase and the EL DORADO SPA has a juice bar with healthy drinks for sale.

 

There was supposed to be "free" ice cream at the SPRINKLES ICE CREAM BAR near the TOPSIDERS BAR, but the ice cream machine was "out-of-order" during our entire cruise. They had "Hagen-Das" ice cream available FOR SALE there too.

 

If you get really desperate and can't find something to eat when you want to...I'm sure the lifeboats have emergency rations in them!!!

 

I don't know think it ethical to try to make a reservation for two different restaurants for the same time and day, but there is no reason why you can't make reservations for different restaurants at different times on different days. To assure yourself the best advantage...make your reservations as early as possible. We didn't have any trouble with our reservation for LE BISTRO, but we did have to settle for a later time when we made our reservation at LA TRATTORIA. I think that LA TRATTORIA was a popular option for everyone that didn't want to eat "Caribbean" food in the main "free" dining rooms that particular evening.

 

As far as the "free" restaurants go, since there are only the two of you, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a table (either by yourselves or joining others at a large table) whenever you care to dine, especially in the large VENETIAN and AQUA restaurants. If you are planning on eating in IMPRESSIONS, you might want to go there early or late, as it is a much smaller area and doesn't have that many tables. We wanted to eat there on the last day of our cruise, during the main dining time, and it was already full. We would have had to wait 20 minutes for a table, so we chose to eat at VENETIAN instead. The only difficulty that "free-style" dining presents is if you have a large group that wants to eat together...they I suggest that you actually make a "reservation" in the dining venues that don't "require" reservations.

 

So, in short, if you aren't more confused by now...if you want to eat in a particular restaurant that requires a reservation...make the reservation early. If you want to eat in a particular "free" restaurant, plan to dine either early (5:30 pm) or late (9:00 pm) to be sure that you get in and possibly get one of the great tables by the windows!

 

Our specialty restaurant of choice on this cruise was LE BISTRO. A dinner there was included as part of the Anniversary Package that we purchased from NCL. It was impressive being able to dine amidst the great masterworks of art. I know a lot of people rave about LE BISTRO, but I have to admit that I found the food and service in the "free" IMPRESSIONS restaurant to be much better. The tables in LE BISTRO are very close together and it felt quite crowded, even though there weren't that many people in there. The noise level was also high because of the closeness. In addition, the lights were so dim that it was hard to read the menu. We both had Filet Mignon, which was good. The next night we had the same in the "free" VENETIAN restaurant and it was equally as good.

 

REPLY TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT MESSAGE...the Cruise Critic Board told me that "The text that you have entered is too long (10685 characters). Please shorten it to 10000 characters long." when I tried to post this...so go to the next posting for the rest of my answers.

 

Debjo

[debjo]

Above message contined...Part 2 of 2

5. We didn't have enough time on our cruise to use any of the pools...our "water" time was spent on our sunny days at Nassau & Great Stirrup Cay. The OASIS POOL on Deck 12 (outside) has deep and shallow areas. There is also a small pool tucked in behind the bandstand at the end of the OASIS POOL, which wasn't used very much. It appeared to be about chest high and had a ledge around the perimeter where you could sit (much like you would in a hot tub). We did managed to enjoy one of the hot tubs by the pool during an afternoon. I think the best hot tub is the one located on Deck 13 forward. You can get a marvelous view of the sea from there while you soak.

 

The indoor pool, located in the spa, was "free" on our cruise. It is mostly for people who want to swim laps. There is also a hot tub and hydrotherapy pool in the spa for "free".

 

Since this is your first cruise, you should be forewarned that the water in the pools is salt water. I was surprised by this fact on our first cruise!

 

6. Your wardrobe ideas for formal night sound fine. We've always enjoyed getting dressed up on formal nights. Because of "freestyle", you can pretty much do what you want that night. One of the "free" restaurants will be designated "formal"...other than that, as long as you aren't wearing jeans, shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits, etc. (the details are posted outside the restaurant), you can pretty much wear what is comfortable. On formal night you'll see a little bit of everything from formal gowns and tuxes to polo shirts & khakis.

 

7. We had a BA Category cabin. I think the layouts are quite similar amongst all of the "B" Category rooms. The main difference lies in the balcony. Rather than having a completely "open" balcony, the BE (and BD) balconies have a "frame" around them. This frame is part of the metal hull structure of the ship. The "open" balconies have railings with clear plexiglass. Since there are only four BE cabins on the ship, chances are you'll probably get an upgrade to another "B" category. In my opinion, I didn't see any advantage of being on Deck 8, 9, or 10. There are plenty of stair towers and elevators on the ship to get to wherever you want.

 

You'll find that the DAWN's cabin designers have laid out the cabins utilizing every square inch. We felt that our BA cabin was one of the best laid out cabins of any ship we've been on.

 

Hopefully, you'll find some helpful information here and not become even more confused. You'll have a great time on the DAWN. The ship is truly a work of art inside and out. The shows were fantastic...the best of any cruise we've been on! We did...so much so that we booked a return trip before we left the ship! You picked a great ship for your first cruise!

 

Debjo :D

[shoreguy]

Sillybutt

 

There is a whole group on the roll call page that will be on the Dawn the week of the 22nd.

 

Dawn 8/22

[Kell4321]

First off let me just say THE DAWN IS AWESOME-so great I am going back! My BF and I are also cruising to celebrate an anniversary, mid-twenties, I have been before but this is his first cruise.

 

1. It was hot last Dec, and I would expect it to be hot again this summer! :) Ditto on the days getting switched. We had a long day in Nassau and short in GSC.

 

2. Last year I went to Kennedy Space Center (cheaper to book on your own and rent a car-also you can go at your leisure and run in to town-Ron John's!! This year we are going to Daytona-big Nascar fans, so hopefully we will have fun. The ship really clears out on Port Canaveral day-lots of families going to Disney and other parks. Great day to get a good dinner reservation at 7pm w/ no problem because everyone is still gone.

 

3. We also could not parasail while at GSC, no jet-ski's either. this year I hope to go jet-skiing. AWESOME SNORKELING at GSC!! I got great pictures (underwater) The beach is quite small, you can trek to the other side of the island, path is to the left of the beach, where we found great snorkeling and a light house. There were a lot of crew members that way, much more room to spread out. Note: Bring comfortable walking shoes, takes about 10-15 mins, and no sand.

 

4. Debjo has given a great answer-basically, I loved Salsa's. La Trattoria was okay, I could take it or leave. I hat buffet food, I'd rather be served a meal but remember that takes time!! We never ate in less the 1.5 hours if we were being served.

 

I found it was easier to see the early show and eat dinner later, that way there were no crowds and you weren't rushing to anything.

 

5. Indoor pool is free, lap swimming only! We found may times people just hanging out in there, esp on SEA DAYS when it was way too cold to be outside (remember I cruised in Dec). The pool was very deep and is sea water.

Cocktail

6. Cocktail dress is fine, the formal night is optional, we chose to eat at Salsa's instead of the main dining room that night (many people were formal).

 

7. No room info from me ... sorry!

 

Extras: There is great popcorn at Pearly King's Pub when they play trivia in the afternoon (4-ish I think).

 

The cinema is a great way to get away and see a movie.

 

Make sure you go to the roll call section because we had so much fun meeting our cruise critic friends while on board.

 

Chocaholic buffet is fun-don't be intimidated because of the line, it moves fast.

 

If you go to Le Bistro (pay restaurant) then get the choc fondue, it was awesome and I was sorry I had just gotten plain cheesecake!

 

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!

[CaroleV]

What is the problem with the food on Caribean night, everybody seems to dislike the menu. What kind of food do they serve??

[shoreguy]

What is the problem with the food on Caribean night, everybody seems to dislike the menu. What kind of food do they serve??

 

Nothing wrong but you are not going to miss anything as good as the food you will have at the Bistro or Cagneys unless you love Jerk. :)

 

Like many others it is just not my favorite menu and a great excuse to eat another night at the Bistro.

 

Sillybutt

At little more cabin info. Since you are booked BE GTD and ther are only 4 BE cabins all that means is you will end up in a balcony cabin. I booked BE GTD 3 times and ended up in 2 BAs and a BB. All the Balcony cabins are the same layout and size. Price is all about location.

 

If you do your pre-registration online at NCL.com you can go back in and check your info. Once a cabin is assigned it will show up on your online records.

 

I don't think you could have picked a better ship for your first cruise. A balcony as well. What are you going to do to make the next cruise better. In case your TA did not tell you cruising is habit forming and may be hazardous to your bank account. Just ask the members here.

[sillybutt]

debjo

 

 

Thank you so much for all your useful information!!! Got three more questions for ya, if you don't mind ;)

 

1. I know we're not allow jeans, flip flops and tanks at restaurants. I was wondering if we're allow or is it inappropriate to walk around the ship and enjoy our amenities in flip flops and shorts..cus after all it is a vacation. My bf is a t-shirt sorta guy and he was totally bummed out when he find out he has to wear slacks for dinner =). So, let say if i walk into the casino with tank top and jeans and flip flop would everyone stop what they're doing and give me the dirtiest look? Also, is the AC very strong on the book? Same question regarding lay back dress code applies to the shows??

 

2. I've heard the lack of soap in the rooms, so i'm definately going to bring my own but when it comes to shampoo and conditioner is it necessary to bring my own as well? There's so much stuff to pack and i only have so many bags =)

 

3. How much should i tip the delievery man if i plan on getting deliveries to my room VERY often (most likely every morning and late night snacks as well as lunches on day we're going to do the activities at the ports<-- some member mentioned that good idea to cut back on spending money for food outside the ship). I don't want to overtip and i dont want to seem to be too cheap. But, keep in mind i will be calling for delivery VERY often.

 

Once again thank you...you're the best ;D

[sillybutt]

kell4321

 

 

Thanks for the info!! I will definately try the Chocaholic buffet. I am a true chocaholic so when i first read about it my eyes lit up!!! So no matter how long the line is my bf will have to suffer with me just so i can get chocolate in my system =)

[sillybutt]

Shoreguy

 

 

Thanks for the link to the rollcall, ill definately sign up =). I just did the adv registration. Where do i click on to see what cabin number they assigned for us? So far all i see is Category: BE, Stateroom: GTY (stand for guarantee, i think). Also, does all the balcony rooms have two beds? If i want one bed, do i simply push it into myself on the day of arrival or should i call to have ncl arrange it for us?

[shoreguy]

Shoreguy

 

 

Thanks for the link to the rollcall, ill definately sign up =). I just did the adv registration. Where do i click on to see what cabin number they assigned for us? So far all i see is Category: BE, Stateroom: GTY (stand for guarantee, i think). Also, does all the balcony rooms have two beds? If i want one bed, do i simply push it into myself on the day of arrival or should i call to have ncl arrange it for us?

 

Go back to the same page every week or so. Put in your booking # and name. When NCL assigns a cabin GTY will change to a cabin number.

[RACRLS]

Originally posted by sillybutt

 

Also, does all the balcony rooms have two beds? If i want one bed, do i simply push it into myself on the day of arrival or should i call to have ncl arrange it for us?

 

Sillybutt,

 

I'm not Shoreguy, but I will answer this part. Don't worry about the bed(s). If you have twin beds, just let your room Attendant know you would prefer to have them put together. They will do it for you. It only takes them a few minutes.

[shoreguy]

Originally posted by sillybutt

 

I'm not Shoreguy, but I will answer this part. Don't worry about the bed(s). If you have twin beds, just let your room Attendant know you would prefer to have them put together. They will do it for you. It only takes them a few minutes.

 

And glad your not :D - thanks

[hunter68]

My wife an I did the para sailing a few weeks back on the Dawn and it was fun. The price is 79 dollars per person and you are up in the air for about 5 minutes. Also you are up about 450 feet in the air.

[bragstarr]

Since this seems to be the current Dawn question board (and since the award winning Dawn question answerer, Debjo, is looking here), do they provide beach towels for the pools/excursions, and are they a nice, large, bathsheet size? What is the procedure? On Royal Caribbean we got one, supposedly if we did not turn it back in we had to pay $20, and you could exchange dirty for clean at the pool area. Each time, however, our cabin person would give us a couple of extras upon request....

 

Thanks,

Robin

[sillybutt]

hunter68

 

only five mins??? my friends did it at hawaii and they told me that it was a short amount of time but i didnt think that it will be "that" short. Guess it was really that great :D

[sillybutt]

racrls

 

 

thanks for the info. you just saved a ncl rep from answering all my detailed oriented questions;)

[johnql]

1. I know we're not allow jeans, flip flops and tanks at restaurants. I was wondering if we're allow or is it inappropriate to walk around the ship and enjoy our amenities in flip flops and shorts..cus after all it is a vacation....

2. I've heard the lack of soap in the rooms, so i'm definately going to bring my own but when it comes to shampoo and conditioner is it necessary to bring my own as well?...

3. How much should i tip the delievery man...

The no-jeans, no t-shirt policy only applies to dinner in the dining rooms (not including the buffet, Blue Lagoon, or food in the bars). You'll be fine during the day and at breakfast and lunch no matter where you eat. Also, don't worry about your dress in the casino.

 

There is a liquid soap dispenser in both the sink and the shower. Some posters have indicated a dislike for the liquid soap. I didn't mind it.

 

For me, tips for room service delivery depend on what's being delivered. If it's just a continental breakfast, $1 or $2 is fine. If it's a full-course dinner, $5 might be more appropriate.

[Kell4321]

There were larger type towels available for use near the pool area. You allowed to "self-serve" these towels. On GSC day there were attendants handing out the larger towels on the way to the tenders, they were asking for room numbers (so in theory you could be charged for not returning it). However, we had already taken some from the pool area. This time we are bringing our own because they were quite heavy, and had to manage once wet.

[sillybutt]

johnql

 

 

so in theory i can "really" wear whatever i want as long as i dont step into the "real dining rooms"? How about when i go to the Stardust theatre?? Thanks for your help!

[shoreguy]

johnql

 

 

so in theory i can "really" wear whatever i want as long as i dont step into the "real dining rooms"? How about when i go to the Stardust theatre?? Thanks for your help!

 

Im not johnql but:

 

Wear what ever you want. Chances are however you wil be coming from or going to dinner when in the Stardust.

 

Glad to see you found the Roll Call :cool:

[debjo]

For CaroleV...

Nothing wrong with the food on Caribbean Night...my husband and I just don't care for spicy type foods, so chose to eat in an alternative restaurant since the main "free" dining rooms and buffet all had Caribbean food.

 

For silllybutt...

In answer to your "new" questions:

1. "Ditto" to the response by johnql and regarding the Stardust Theatre-you probably won't violate any dress code there either. On Formal Night, since we dined early (6:00 pm) at Impressions, left there and had our "formal" portrait taken with the Captain on our way to the 7:45 pm show at the Stardust Theatre, we didn't have any time in-between to get back to our cabin and change into something a bit more comfortable. Actually, it was kind of fun to be all "dressed up" for the evening!

 

There were some times when I felt a bit "cool" on the ship with the air-conditioning...other times I felt too warm. It all depended on the time of day, number of people in the "room" and temperatures outside. If you dress formally with your backless, sleeveless black dress, just take along a shawl or wrap, and you'll probably be fine. If you get too cool, a walk around the outter decks will warm you right up.

 

The air-conditioning in your cabin is wonderful. The thermostats adjust very quickly to whatever temperature you feel most comfortable with. The only problem you might have in keeping the cabin cool is if you like to have your balcony door open to hear the sounds of the sea!

 

2. My husband liked the "almond" scented hand soap in the dispenser. I don't care for that scent, so I was glad I brought my own hand soap. Regarding the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash dispensers in the shower...they seemed fine. The only reason I returned to my own shampoo & conditioner is that I have very long hair and the dispensers only emit a certain amount of product each time you press the button. I got tired of pressing the button so much...it was much easier to pour the products out of my own bottles. I don't take along my "big" bottles from home. I keep some of those little "sample" bottles and just refill them for each trip. They take up much less room in my luggage. Another "tip" is to put anything that might accidently open up and spill in your luggage into zip-lock baggies. That way if there is a "spill", it will be contained in the plastic bag.

 

3. "Ditto" on johnql's tipping comments. We usually just get a breakfast one or two mornings on a cruise (usually when we have an early shore excursion)...depending on what we order for breakfast. On the DAWN, we learned that the person delivering our room service meals WOULD NOT be our cabin steward as on other trips, so we tipped as follows: Light breakfast $1-$2, Full Fare (on our anniversary morning) $4-$6. On the cruises where our cabin steward was the one that would be delivering our room service breakfasts, we always gave him/her something extra for their ministrations the day before we left the ship (this was inaddition to any "per day/per person" tips that either we gave at the end of the cruise or was automatically charged to our on-board accounts. I have always strongly felt that those people, on our cruises, who give us any special treatment over and above the norm, should be suitably thanked. We write them a note of appreciation and include whatever additional monies we feel they deserve.

 

By the way, since you are a "chocoholic" like me, be sure you get the chocolate mousse (room service, buffet, and dining rooms) often. It is the best I've ever had!

When you go to the Chocoholic Buffet...they will let you go through the line ahead of time to view and photograph their creations. The second time through, you actually get to do the "tastings". They will ask you if you are planning to eat in the dining room or if you want a "to go" plate...the difference is in what plate they give you...china or fiberboard with plastic utensils. The chocolate buffet was the best I've ever witnessed on a ship. It was not only a feast for the eyes, but a feast for the tummy as well. Go dressed as you are, even though it will seem like a much more "formal" affair with a pianist and all!

 

Regarding the beds in the cabins...

If you arrive in your cabin and find that there are two twin beds...there is no problem with having the cabin steward put them together. In our advance reservations, we requested that we have the "queen" bed set up. When we arrived, we found that our request had been granted ahead of time. There is also room underneath the bed(s) to store your luggage when you've unpacked.

 

Don't ever feel it is a "bother" to talk to the NCL reps...that is what they are there for! On the other hand, I've gotten more factual information from people on these message boards with regard to the "details" of life on the ship. The important thing is to keep asking your questions...the more you know about your trip ahead of time, the better off you'll be prepared to have a terrific time. Also, when you are on the ship...remember no question or request is too much. Your cabin steward and the staff at the purser's desk will be your "go to" people...all you need to do is ASK!

 

For bragstarr...

Thanks so much for my "honored" new title! It is easier to "answer" questions on the thread that I started, but being the addictive person that I am when it comes to these message board (and liking to help people out, as so many have helped me in the past), I do peruse some of the other "boards" as well.

 

Regarding beachtowels...there are cupboards/counters adjacent to the pool area on the DAWN where you can find fresh, clean towels (I believe they were light blue). On our excursions that were water related (snorkeling, etc.), we usually had to report to the "Dive-In Locker" on Deck 12 around the corner from Topsider's Bar and before you walk into the Garden Cafe. They would hand out any "equipment" we needed and there were towels there for us to take. We DID NOT have to "sign" for them. People that were going to go to the beach on their own could pick up towels in the gangway area before they left the ship. Usually, you had to "sign" for these and return them before the end of the day or be "charged". When we went to Great Stirrup Cay, we were allowed to take these towels with us and not have to sign for them. They did strongly request that you bring them back to the ship with you and NOT leave them at the island. I was shocked by the number of people that returned to the ship, on the last tenders of the day, and left their towels on the beach...it was littered with them. The towels that the ship supplied were nice large and absorbant ones, so there really is no need to bring your own from home or take ones from your cabin. In addition, if you've forgotten your water bottle and left it in the cabin, there was usually bottled water for purchase at the towel table in the gangway.

 

And for everyone reading this message thread...

You can find some additional information on this message board "...You've got questions, we've got answers..." that we began after our return from two great cruises: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=27800

 

Debjo (keeping the cruise alive)

[johnql]

Debjo and shoreguy beat me to it. I agree with their responses that there really is no dress code for the Stardust Theater. I never bothered to change out of my dinner attire.

[bragstarr]

Debjo, thanks again for the answer. Since the only place off the ship I will probably ever need towels is Great Stirrip Cay, it becomes an easy situation (since I plan on Kennedy Space Center, visiting with the in-laws in Miami, and probably just hanging on the ship aside from a little shopping in Nassau, since I have been there 2 times already, including a 3 night stay at the Atlantis!)

 

When I come up with my next ridiculous question, swing back to the original thread. Apparently you are as obsessive as I about checking these boards out!

Incidentally, for sillybutt (love that name!) regarding dressing for shows on ships, I've only been on Royal Caribbean before, but the two formal nights I ran back to my cabin to change into something much less formal before shows or after dinner activities. No one looked twice at me, and that is on a line that mandates formal attire in their main dining venues for dinner. As long as I was dressed appropriately in the dining room, there were no problems.

Robin

[fkwok]

Hi! This will our second Dawn cruise on 9/5 with our 7 yo daughter! Whatta coincidence! The Kids Club is ok. The hours are from 10-12, pick the kids for lunch, drop off for pm session at 2 pm - 5 pm. During sea days it free. They charge you during port days and after 7 pm. The staff are great. But after one day with the Club running to pick her up, drop her off, pick her up etc, and the extra cost of ports days, we opted NOT to enroll her the rest of the cruise. We will definetly enroll her on the first sea day this cruise so my wife and I could roast ourselves for one day in peace a quiet. LOL.

 

We went to Sea World in Port C. The lines for Disney were just too long and day too short to justify the huge cost. Seaworld was ok. It was VERY hot and humid. Our 6 yo (then) got pooped out by 4 pm. So we took her to the jungle gym area until the shuttle bus pick up. This year we are thinking a trip to NASA or a day at the beach.

 

We went to South Beach and Bayside market while in Miami. She played on the beach and then we went shopping. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and went back on the ship. This year, we might do the same, but I hear there is a Hilton resort day trip excursion. Full use of the place for one day.

 

We stayed on the Dawn at GSC. Too many cruisers on a very small beach, esp when hight tide hits. The ship was pretty empty which was nice, but the ship took 95% of the towels!

 

We've been to the Bahamas before and the day is short, so we just went shopping and visited the Hard Rock Cafe (notice a trend?).

 

The last day was spend at the pool. Speaking of the pools. The main pool is VERY small. Not what I expected. There is a smaller pool behind it, but you have to use a ladder to in. Why they didn't make it one large pool is beyond me. Anyway, the main pool is deep. We did not let our 6 yo there b/c it was so deep. The other kids pool is aft and has slides and stuff there. There is a smaller deck area for sunning and NO bar. There is a pool in the spa area. We will be using the aft kids pool this year b/c we are in deck 9 aft this year vs deck 8 forward last year.

 

The place to eat for our 6 yo, now 7 yo, was the main buffet, poolside bbq and topsiders in that order. We ate the first 2 meals at the buffet and dinner was either Cagneys, the sushi place, the italian place and the spanish place. They were all ok.

 

I'd recommend bringing a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo and a power strip w/ you. The ship's soap and shampoo was too watery and there is only one outlet in the cabin.

 

The showers have adjustable heads that slide up and down and swivel sideways. Our child LOVED it. Be warned when flushing the toilet...its VERY loud.

 

A place to view is Spinnacker's. Its deck 10 forward. You look out and see ocean.

 

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me anything else.