9/13 NCL Dawn to Canada/New England

[TomAndJane]

We were on the 9/13 sailing of the Dawn to Canada/New England. I will try and keep this short and sweet.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the pier in N.Y.C at 11:30 a.m. and went to the Latitudes area (upstairs) and met up with our friends. Around 12:30 p.m. they took us to the front of the line and we were on board by 12:45.

 

Day one: We had our Cruise Critic Meeting at 11:00 a.m. in the Star Bar. The Hotel Director, Cruise Director and other officers came and spoke with us. Before they left we were invited to the Office Hosted Dinner that took place later on during the cruise. At 12:30 we arrived in Boston and we did it on our own. We took a cab to Boston Commons for $12 and started walking the Freedom Trail. After a while we found a pub for a couple of drinks then back to the ship (took a while to get a cab).

 

Earlier that morning there was a pod of dolphins by the ship and around 6:30 a.m. a pod of at least 10 - 15 Humpbacks were close to the ship. Saw numerous blows, flukes and even breaching!!!!!!

 

Day Two: Bar Harbor was the only day we had rainy weather. We took the free shuttle to Sand Beach and walked to Thunder Hole. Beautiful area and worth the time to take a nice walk.

 

Day Three: Halifax - We have been to Peggys Cover before so once again we did this port on our own. We took a free bus called FRED that goes to different places in Halifax including the Citadel, Casino, etc. Just remember to pull the cord if you want off because the bus just keeps on going.

 

Day Five: Quebec City. This is a beautiful town that reminded us of Europe. We took the Funicular ($1.75 each way) up to the upper town and then walked down to the lower town.. Beautiful. In the afternoon we took an excursion to a winery, St Anne Canyon and then a stop at Montemency Falls. All three places were great.

 

Day seven: Corner Brook. There is not a lot to do around the port so we took an excursion to the Gros Morne National Park. It remined us of Alaska with the Fjords, etc. This is a must. We saw Caribou and a black bear. We didn't see any moose but they are there.

 

Day eight: Sydney. Sydney was a quaint little town that is easily walked. We took another excursion to the Highlands and it was nice but not Corner Brook.

 

Dining: We ate all the main restaurants including Impression and Salsas. We also ate at Le Bistro (wonderful). We liked all the dining rooms but wasn't impressed with the El Popo for two at Salsas (although the second time there we ordered different food and it was very good).

 

Room: We had an ocean view room on Deck 5. The window was large enough to sit in and we never felt crowded.

 

Staff: Can't say enough about the staff on the Dawn. They were wonderful. Always there to take care of your every need!!! Absolutely the best.

 

Overall: This was our third cruise on NCL and they have only gotten better. I would cruise this ship with this staff any where. Fantastic. In addition, if you have the patience like we did, you will see whales and dolphins every day of your cruise!!!!

[travelisnowmy thing]

Thank you for your review! We will be leaving on 10/14. Your comments will help us make some choices on our cruise. I can hardly wait to go!

[TomAndJane]

Thank you for your review! We will be leaving on 10/14. Your comments will help us make some choices on our cruise. I can hardly wait to go!

 

I think you will have a great time and the Dawn and her crew are GREAT. Can I go with you????hahahahahaha

 

Tom

[bethany24]

Earlier that morning there was a pod of dolphins by the ship and around 6:30 a.m. a pod of at least 10 - 15 Humpbacks were close to the ship. Saw numerous blows, flukes and even breaching!!!!!!

 

Great review!! We're leaving on 10/14 and we're getting very excited.

 

If DH sees a whale on our cruise, I think his vacation will be made!!

 

Bethany24

[TomAndJane]

Great review!! We're leaving on 10/14 and we're getting very excited.

 

If DH sees a whale on our cruise, I think his vacation will be made!!

 

Bethany24

 

A great place to look for ocean wildlife is in the Spinnaker Lounge or either side of the ship on the Deck 12 (Lido I think). We sat in both of these areas for hours when we were at sea and saw Dolphins and Whales every day. Have to be patient. May take a couple of hours to see a splash or a spray (looks like smoke from the whales -- except Minkes) then just watch it. Never know what it might be..... Seemed the whales were really active going to Boston and From Sydney. The dolphins were REALLY active after leaving Halifax for the first sea day and the second sea day after leaving Quebec City. If you are on the 11 or 12 day cruise that stops in La Brae, you may have a chance to see Boluga (spelling) whales which would really be cool.

 

We saw Humpbacks, Blue (rare) and Minke whales but no Bolugas... I was hoping while we were in the St. Lawerence one would come close to the boat and smile at us..ha-ha.

 

Have fun on your cruise. Wish I was going again!!!!!

[bethany24]

A great place to look for ocean wildlife is in the Spinnaker Lounge or either side of the ship on the Deck 12 (Lido I think). We sat in both of these areas for hours when we were at sea and saw Dolphins and Whales every day. Have to be patient. May take a couple of hours to see a splash or a spray (looks like smoke from the whales -- except Minkes) then just watch it. Never know what it might be..... Seemed the whales were really active going to Boston and From Sydney. The dolphins were REALLY active after leaving Halifax for the first sea day and the second sea day after leaving Quebec City. If you are on the 11 or 12 day cruise that stops in La Brae, you may have a chance to see Boluga (spelling) whales which would really be cool.

 

We saw Humpbacks, Blue (rare) and Minke whales but no Bolugas... I was hoping while we were in the St. Lawerence one would come close to the boat and smile at us..ha-ha.

 

Have fun on your cruise. Wish I was going again!!!!!

 

TomandJane:

 

Thank you for the whale watching tips.

 

This will be our second cruise to this destination. On the first cruise we saw very little sea life. DH swears he saw dolphin as we cruised up the St. Lawrence to Quebec. I didn't believe him!! He searched for hours looking for a bear or moose; didn't see any on that cruise.

 

When we went to Alaska in '03 we saw tons of wildlife; eagles, bears, goats, etc... We took an orca excursion out of Victoria, BC. Saw many orca. Was so much nicer seeing them in the wild than at Seaworld.

 

We're counting down the days!!

 

Bethany24

[TomAndJane]

TomandJane:

 

Thank you for the whale watching tips.

 

This will be our second cruise to this destination. On the first cruise we saw very little sea life. DH swears he saw dolphin as we cruised up the St. Lawrence to Quebec. I didn't believe him!! He searched for hours looking for a bear or moose; didn't see any on that cruise.

 

When we went to Alaska in '03 we saw tons of wildlife; eagles, bears, goats, etc... We took an orca excursion out of Victoria, BC. Saw many orca. Was so much nicer seeing them in the wild than at Seaworld.

 

We're counting down the days!!

 

Bethany24

 

This was our second trip to New England/Canada and the first time we didn't see any thing either. Like you, we went to Alaska twice and saw tons of wildlife. We are going back in May 08. I wanted to see a bear so bad in Alaska but didn't. Who would have thought that I would have to go to Newfoundland to see a bear in the wild...ha-ha We took a Orca tour out of Seattle to Friday Harbor and found one of the resident Orca Pods. It was a wonderful site -- Yeah not in SeaWorld either..haha

 

Tom