Another viewpoint on the 1/07/07 sailing on the Dawn

[steve1era]

Haven't been able to post yet but thought we'd throw our 2cents in.

 

We loved the ship & the cruise. It was very relaxing. Great R&R. We only have Carnival to compare it to but we liked Carnival and felt that NCL was at least as good if not better. Had a minisuite (11090). It was very comfortable & we loved the reclining deck chairs on the balcony. The cabin itself was comparable to a Carnival balcony cabin except for the bathroom. Carnival's bathroom was a tight squeeze; Dawn's bathroom was much bigger.

 

The cabin wasn't very clean when we arrived but we are picky about that so we always just wipe down the entire cabin when we arrive (Lysol Wipes work good). Cabin wasn't any cleaner or dirtier than others we've been in. Stewards did a good job of responding to all of our requests, extra towels, vacuum when needed, empty the refrigerator of the drinks, etc...

 

We decided before we arrived that we were not going to spend time waiting on lines so we didn't arrive at the pier until about 2:45 (we have a short drive to the pier from home). Got onboard within 20 minutes. We also did not wait in lines for priority tendering. It onlt takes 1-2 hours before the tenders are open to anyone. (But we also didn't book any excursions so we weren't on the clock).

 

Service was excellent and friendly everywhere we went. Maybe we just got lucky but we wrote 4 separate glowing critiques about servers who made our cruise even more special.

 

We ate at the buffet or Blue Lagoon for breakfast & lunch and they met all of our expectations- no complaints. Good (not great) food.

Bimini had good burgers & hot dogs at the pool.

Pool barbeque was just OK.

Impressions was our favorite regular restaurant. No wait three times between 7 & 8.

Venetian was good but not great- no wait.

Cagneys was great service but believe it or not, my surf & turf was below par- disappointing. Ate their late so no wait & no reservation.

Trattoria was good food and no wait about 8:30.

Salsa was wonderful. Had to come back for later seatings because it was crowded. Second favorite.

LaBistro was by far our favorite. Enjoyed everything about it. Asked for the chocolate fondue & they had it. Terrific. Loved the food & service. Definitely needed a reservation even after 9PM.

Did not eat in Aqua or Bamboo.

 

Got off at each port but didn't book excursions- just went on our own. Went to Paradise Beach on Cozumel (too crowded). Went to Seagrape beach on Cayman Islands- enjoyed very much. Took a cab to both beaches and it was easy. Hired a cab on Roatan and toured the island and also visited the C.S.I. orphanage. That was worth the trip.

Shopped a little & walked around a little at each port.

 

Shows were good, not great- shows on Carnival were better.

 

Our Meet 'n Greet was very well attended and it was very enjoyable to meet our fellow CC'ers. Budddawn set up a luncheon in Venetian for us on our last sea day and it was fun.

 

All in all, we enjoyed the Dawn very much and we'll be back.

[Sybird]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the hookup with Budd & Dawn .Met them at the CC meeting and we spent many days together- including the last-day luncheon in the Venetian.

 

Sy & Marcella