Back from the Dawn - Eastern Caribbean - 1.27 to 2.3.08

[Imabelvr]

We returned last evening from a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Dawn.

Our group consisted of me, DH and 2 of our friends (both women). We left from Chicago early Sunday 1/27 and arrived @ the Miami airport just before noon. The airport was busy and seemed sort of chaotic – but perhaps it was just a busy time of day. We spoke with the NCL rep who informed us the cost for the shuttle was $15 pp. We decided to check out a taxi and am glad we did – cost for the taxi was $24 (for all of us). It was an interesting taxi ride to say the least! A lot of honking, weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating – but we did make it to the pier in one piece and safe and sound (albeit a bit shook up!) We laughed about it once we got settled!

Our luggage was wisped away from us and we were shown where to go for embarkation – the wait was minimal. We were able to take advantage of the VIP check in – we were taken to a small room and offered beverages and pastries. Once we had our paperwork, etc. filled out, we were escorted to meet our concierge, Anca. Because our friends did not have a penthouse (or the like) they went through the “normal” embarkation process. (they said that went very smoothly as well, no complaints.) We met our friends by the pool and were told the cabins would be ready in a few hours. Within 2 hours the announcement was made that we could proceed to our cabins. Luggage would be delivered in two hours or so. (True to their word, our luggage did arrive within a couple of hours.) DH and I were very pleased with our cabin (Penthouse AFT 9732). Very roomy and colorful. Full sized bathroom. Tons of storage areas. We were greeted with 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of Champaign , fresh fruit, chocolate covered strawberries and fresh flowers. Another nice surprise was the two $75.50 credit certificates left for us!

The view from the back balcony was absolutely wonderful (we could tell that even as the ship was setting in the dock area!) Anoop, our butler, brought finger sandwiches just before we set sail. We sipped on Champaign and munched on the sandwiches as the ship pulled out – the site of the city and the beaches as we pulled away was wonderful (the weather was perfect as well!).

We’d been on the go much of the day (having left our home @ 2AM Sunday morning) so we grabbed a quick bit to each @ the Blue Lagoon. The food was “okay”. Nothing really special, but we were all so sleep we didn’t care!

We ate breakfast @ the buffet each day – food was okay, nothing out of this world, and not the greatest assortment – same food each day. We normally took our plates and ate pool-side, never had to wait in line.

Monday we enjoyed just hanging around by the pool much of the day. We found the drink waiters to be very friendly and got to know a few of them quite well! The drinks were good and we didn’t feel they were too overpriced (as far as cruises go). DH was happy that the ship served Bud Light. We also tried many other drinks including the specialty drinks. I overheard people saying the specialty drinks were weak (as were the BOGO drinks) – we didn’t think the specialty drinks were bad and didn’t do any of the buy one get one drink specials. Monday evening we ate at the Venetian, the food was very good as was the service. After dinner was went to the Spinnaker and listened to “60280”, a great band, capable of playing many different genres of music.

Tuesday we were in Samana and went on the whale watching excursion. Unfortunately that was not the best experience. The boat was small and the ocean was rough. At first we were a little wet, but by time the excursion was over most of us were drenched. (Thankfully it was not cold). There were people on the boat physically getting ill. Still, the 2 people running the excursion kept on going, looking diligently for whales. A few of them were sited but in my opinion, it was definitely not worth the cost or the hassles of being on such a small boat. Once the whales were spotted I felt like all of the other boats in the area were simply chasing them, trying to get a glance of them. I think the majority of the people on the boat were very pleased when we made it back to the ship! Later that afternoon we ventured into Samana, a very poor town indeed. We took a “taxi” (a van) to the downtown area, did some shopping and walked back to the pier. A few small children walked with us, begging us to buy shells for $1. We told them “no thanks” and they left us alone. Tuesday evening we ate at the Impressions. The food and the service were excellent. DH wore a nice pair of shorts and a sports shirt, but was told he would have to change. The hostess felt so bad telling us that, but she was very professional about it. Not a big deal to us – it didn’t damper our evening.

Wednesday was our stop @ Tortola. We had planned on doing the snorkel and swim @ the Baths, but found out (through the grapevine) there was a lot of swimming involved. DH and I can swim, but are not what I’d consider “strong” swimmers. We explained this to the person @ the excursion desk and were able to cancel the excursion even though it was less than a 48 hour notice. We shopped a bit in Tortola, the ships are quaint and shop owners friendly. We were able to bargain with them on a few little items. Wednesday eve we at that Salsa (Tex-Mex) restaurant. The service was not good (not very friendly), nor were the drinks. The food was not to our liking either. Not a good dining experience! We talked with others who thought it was wonderful, so it is probably just a difference in taste.

Thursday we shopped most of the day in St. Thomas. We had thought about shopping in the AM and going to the beach in the afternoon, but since the ship pulled out @ 3:30 we didn’t go to the beach. As it was, it rained shortly after we got back on board. Found some great bargains in St. Thomas and even met a man who lived about 30 miles from where we live here in Illinois. (He flew down there years ago for a vacation and just never left!) We ate the Impressions again – and again, had an excellent meal and experience. Wilson was our waiter (he was Tuesday evening as well). What a nice young man – very friendly and helpful and always smiling. DH had tried to make reservations Wednesday for our dinner on Thursday but was told it was booked up. I then called Anca, our concierge, and was able to get in. (One of the penthouse perks, I suppose).

Spent Friday lounging by the pool, soaking in the sun. Enjoyed dinner @ the Aqua, good food and service.

Saturday we spent the day @ Great Stirup Cay, NCL’s private island. Rented a party raft and floated around for a couple of hours. The noon barbeque was good and there were a few shops there as well. We walked part way around the island and then called it a day – it was good to get back to the cabin and take a nice hot shower to get the sand and salt water off of our skin and clothes!

Saturday we had dinner brought into our cabin from Cagney’s. We ordered a variety of side dishes and they were all very good. The service was prompt and Anoop, our butler, also brought us more Champaign as soon as we ordered it.

As far as entertainment goes – we went to the shows each night @ the Stardust and thought the entertainment was good.

We did not participate in any of the events during the day – (we were always by the pool soaking in the sun!).

I did get my hair cut and styled one afternoon, and was happy with the outcome, even though it was a bit pricey (compared to a normal cut/style here @ home).

All in all it was a fun cruise – the ship itself is great. Easy to get around on – I didn’t find myself getting lost like I have on other ships. The ship was clean and there was a good variety of things to do – places to dine. The food was okay – not excellent, but okay. The portions were not super large, which was nice – it was nice to not be stuffed after each meal. The staff on the Dawn was excellent – many of them knew us by name by time we left.

It was not a 100% perfect cruise, but we didn’t let things get to us – we were there for R&R and to have a good time and that’s what we did. We will probably cruise NCL again in the future, not sure that I’d ever do an Eastern Caribbean destination again though.

 

Disembarkation was a piece of pie - we carried our luggage off of the ship with us - went through customs and was able to get a taxi back to the Miami airport without any problems. The airport wasn't very busy, but they were certainly not fast getting us through security either. We flew in to Chicago as it started snowing and it took us 2 hours to get home from where our car was parked, instead of 45 minutes like it normally would!! What a way to end a vacation!! 6 inches of snow and more to follow tomorrow - welcome to the midwest!!

If you have specific questions please let me know – I’ll try to answer them for you..

[The Islanders]

Imabelvr,

 

Thank you for the review. I was so excited to read your review because my DH and I will be doing the same cruise in the same cabin 3/1-3/9. I don't see many CC posts for this cabin # and I was happy to hear that it is so nice and the butler and concierge were good.

 

You said that you received 2 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of champagne, etc. and 2 certificates for $75.50. Do you know if all this was part of the package? We know that we will receive some things being in a penthouse but I think you received much more. Please let me know.

 

Glad to hear that you had a nice time on the Dawn! Can't wait for ours in 3 weeks:) .

 

On a side note: where in Chicago are you from? We currently live in Fox Lake but grew up on the northwest side. In St. Thomas you met a gentleman from Chicago, where was he from? Small world isn't it?

 

Thank you,

Pam

[Imabelvr]

Pam, glad that the review was useful to you!

Honestly, I'm not sure why we received the wine AND champaign - we booked through Cruises.com, so can't imagine that anything was sent from them - sorry, I can't answer your question better! (Our friends did get 2 bottles of wine, but no credit certificates or champaign - and we booked together ...so am not sure about that either).

 

 

We live about 3 hours west of Chicago - about 45 miles east of Rockford - right in the center of the IL border (Cedarville).

 

It is a small world that we ran into someone from Rockford though - mighty small world!

[PJWisconsin]

Hey, neighbors! We're up the road here in Baraboo Wisconsin, and we are leaving on that same Dawn cruise this Sunday (2/10). We will be staying in the penthouse just a few doors down from yours in #9236, so we also really appreciated your review!

 

Hurray for cruises to warm places in the middle of a long winter!!

[NJLVW]

Imabelvr,

 

Wonderful review. We are leaving on the Dawn in just a few weeks. I am so glad to see Anca is back. She was one of the reasons we chose the Dawn. I am glad to hear how wonderful everything was for you. If everyone would just go with a positive attitude their vacation would also be wonderful even with a few snags..Anyway it is nice to read well rounded reviews.

 

I thought if you were traveling with people that didn't have priorty embarkation they could embark with you? Did you have your reservations linked together? or am I missing something?

 

Did you notice if the menus were new? I had read that there was lobster almost every night. Anything on the Freesyle 2.0?

 

Thank you

[PJWisconsin]

double post!

[NJLVW]

sorry duplicate

[PJWisconsin]

double post again. What's happening???

[Imabelvr]

Hey, neighbors! We're up the road here in Baraboo Wisconsin, and we are leaving on that same Dawn cruise this Sunday (2/10). We will be staying in the penthouse just a few doors down from yours in #9236, so we also really appreciated your review!

 

Hurray for cruises to warm places in the middle of a long winter!!

 

... for sure!! ... had 10 inches of snow on the ground before we left - got another 8 or 9 inches while we were gone - 6 inches last night and another 10 inches perdicted for tomorrow :eek: :eek: :eek: !

I'll be looking forward to your review and wish you a grand time!

 

As for friends being able to use express embarkation with us ... we didn't know we were able to do that - although it wasn't a big deal for them since there wasn't much of a line - I'm not sure about the menus, there was a special @ the Venetian on Monday night with lobster - and we had surf and turf from Cagney's Saturday eve - both were very good!

[sunrise&set]

Thanks so much for your review! We're sailing on the Dawn on March 23 in an AE on deck 8. I can't wait! I was also wondering about the wine and champagne, guess I'll have to wait and see. I love toasting my DH as we pull out of Miami! He'll love the chocolate covered strawberries. Maybe I'll have to order some for him!

[WinnieinWA]

Thanks for your review. I loved the Dawn mid December. :D For those of you cruising on the Dawn soon.. it's a beautiful ship and I found the service, food and entertainment to be great. DO go to Venetian for breakfast too...the dinners were great also.:)

 

Winnie

[Imabelvr]

I finally have some photos downloaded - have several of cabin 9732, I'll be posting (sometime) in Webshots, but if you'd like me to email you a few photos PM me your email addy and I'll get them off to you.:)

[crusinlikeaprincess]

Hey, neighbors! We're up the road here in Baraboo Wisconsin, and we are leaving on that same Dawn cruise this Sunday (2/10). We will be staying in the penthouse just a few doors down from yours in #9236, so we also really appreciated your review!

 

Hurray for cruises to warm places in the middle of a long winter!!

 

I will be in your cabin on the 3/16 sailing. Please post your impressions when you return.

[PJWisconsin]

Definitely will post when we return. We are so EXCITED! And with another big snowstorm coming in tonight, we are very anxious to get out of Wisconsin!!

 

And we will leave happy vibes in cabin 9236 for you, Princess!

[Soon2Bmtnest]

Can you post a link to your webshots?

Thanks

[crusinlikeaprincess]

Definitely will post when we return. We are so EXCITED! And with another big snowstorm coming in tonight, we are very anxious to get out of Wisconsin!!

 

And we will leave happy vibes in cabin 9236 for you, Princess!

 

Thanks for the good vibes. We are excited too - also anxious to get out of Minnesota.

[Imabelvr]

Here's the link to the photos Webshots: Dawn Penthouse 9332.

[NewYearCruiser]

Thanks for your review! We sail on the Dawn on March 23rd and are looking forward to it! Decided to get plain ocean view cabin and save nice balcony for Alaska - but am glad to know the penthouse rooms/service are good!