Dawn Review, 1/31-2/7/09

[Cruise'nMaMa]

My family just returned from our cruise on the Norweigian Dawn. We are in our mid 30s/early 40s with a 5 year old son. Needless to say, NCL and Freestyle is not for me. The food was some of the worst I have experienced on a cruise and do not feel the specialty restaurants are worth the extra charges. I truly felt nickle and dimed to death on this cruise. Everything was extra cost. Photos were expensive, 1 for $17.99! The only truly good thing about the cruise was the nightly entertainment and shows. Very enjoyable! My son did enjoy the Kids Center for the and the kids pool area was good too. He spent about 2-4 hours there each day usually for dinner and early evening. We had a balcony stateroom, BA, Deck 10, 10080. It was small! There was no good spot in the room to get ready (i.e. hair dryer, makeup area). The ship overall was in good condition but the stateroom was not the cleanest. Embarkation and Disembarkation were both smooth and not too lengthy.

 

Tendering was not very smooth. We decided not to get off in Samana because it was taking so long to get tendering going that it just didn't seem worth it. Talking to other people, I think we made the right choice. We heard it was very trashy and not worth the stop. St. Thomas was the same as I remember. Tortola was very nice and the Dolphin Encounter was fun but also overpriced. Nassau was much improved over my last visit and I enjoyed walking through the shops. Too cold to visit the beach that day!

 

The spa was nice. I enjoyed several hot stone massages and a seaweed wrap done by Mary Ann. She was very sweet and did a great job.

 

I felt that freestyle was just too impersonal overall. I chose the cruise thinking the freestyle would be better for my son. The Kids Buffet is a great idea and my son loved eating at the tables sized for him. It was a lesson learned by me. I will likely stick with Princess, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Their quality is way above what I experienced on NCL and a bit more traditional. My last NCL cruise was on the Norway years ago before freestyle and that was one of the best ones ever! She was a wonderful ship and will be missed!

 

All in all, it was good to be away from the Vermont cold and I made the best of the vacation.

[jondirk]

My family just returned from our cruise on the Norweigian Dawn. We are in our mid 30s/early 40s with a 5 year old son. Needless to say' date=' NCL and Freestyle is not for me. The food was some of the worst I have experienced on a cruise and do not feel the specialty restaurants are worth the extra charges. I truly felt nickle and dimed to death on this cruise. Everything was extra cost. Photos were expensive, 1 for $17.99! The only truly good thing about the cruise was the nightly entertainment and shows. Very enjoyable! My son did enjoy the Kids Center for the and the kids pool area was good too. He spent about 2-4 hours there each day usually for dinner and early evening. We had a balcony stateroom, BA, Deck 10, 10080. It was small! There was no good spot in the room to get ready (i.e. hair dryer, makeup area). The ship overall was in good condition but the stateroom was not the cleanest. Embarkation and Disembarkation were both smooth and not too lengthy.

 

Tendering was not very smooth. We decided not to get off in Samana because it was taking so long to get tendering going that it just didn't seem worth it. Talking to other people, I think we made the right choice. We heard it was very trashy and not worth the stop. St. Thomas was the same as I remember. Tortola was very nice and the Dolphin Encounter was fun but also overpriced. Nassau was much improved over my last visit and I enjoyed walking through the shops. Too cold to visit the beach that day!

 

The spa was nice. I enjoyed several hot stone massages and a seaweed wrap done by Mary Ann. She was very sweet and did a great job.

 

I felt that freestyle was just too impersonal overall. I chose the cruise thinking the freestyle would be better for my son. The Kids Buffet is a great idea and my son loved eating at the tables sized for him. It was a lesson learned by me. I will likely stick with Princess, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Their quality is way above what I experienced on NCL and a bit more traditional. My last NCL cruise was on the Norway years ago before freestyle and that was one of the best ones ever! She was a wonderful ship and will be missed!

 

All in all, it was good to be away from the Vermont cold and I made the best of the vacation.[/quote']

 

Sorry you didn't have an entirely enjoyable trip. I picked up on one of your comments in particular -- it's definitely NOT traditional. That's the reason I prefer NCL to Princess. Yes, the photos are a rip off, I have found that to be true with most lines but I still have to splurge when I come across a really good photo. I have to disagree with your comment on the food though. In my opinion, the food was great in both the main restaurants and the specialty restaurants. Although I didn't think the buffet food was anything special.

 

But oh, I wish you'd gone ashore in Samana. That was my all-time favorite port. I had researched the beaches before hand and had a wonderful time at the beach. I'm not huge into shopping so it was a coincidence that the only ship offered excursion that I booked, was in St. Thomas and we got bumped due to an NCL goof. But I really enjoyed the ports and wish you had checked out Samana. You just have to stray beyond the chickens and the vendors. :) I wish I had a been a bit younger and allowed to use the water slide, they did have a pretty nice kiddy area and when I was soaking in the Jacuzzi at night, I always saw a group of kids parading across the deck with an attendant, singing songs, and wearing masks or hats. Looked like they were having fun.

 

just a big kid at heart, who loves Freestyle,

 

Dirk

[snorklinbarb]

Thank you for your comments. You say the food was "some of the worst" you've experienced but you don't give a single example of why you feel that way. You say the specialties weren't worth it, but again, no details or examples. Having been on the Dawn a dozen times, I'm totally confused by your comments.

 

Did you bring your issues to anyone's attention? Was the service poor? What was wrong with the food?

 

What did NCL charge for that Princess, Celebrity and Royal offer for free? Photos? Sodas? Again, no examples. All of them have alternate restaurants for which they charge.

 

Unfortunately reviews with a sweeping brush and no real details don't really help others.

 

Glad you enjoyed the entertainment and some of the ports.

[sottovoce]

Any review that says NCL's food is "some of the worst" gets no credence from me. Particularly so if it goes on to tout Celebrity's, while knocking Cagney's and Bistro, both of which simply blow away Celebrity's dining room food. I think we have a case of someone who just loves Celebrity's fawning, obsequious style of service and didn't find it (thankfully) on NCL. And, as we all know, the stuff about nickel and diming is just nonsense. All mass-market cruise lines have it in equal amounts. But it is always useful to insert it when ranting irrationally.

 

Best if we just let this thread sink off the first page and drop into deserved oblivion.

[megacruiser78]

i was on the same cruise as the op. i could not agree with them more. venetian was terrible for dinner. the choices offered were not great. and the food was terrible quality and very small portions. the only nights we enjoyed were the lobster nights. but even then- only half a lobster tail??? come on!!!

lebistro and cagneys were good but they certainly dont blow celebritys food away. in fact i made the comment at cagneys to my husband "this meal is more like what we got on celebrity in the free dining room" and he agreed. its funny that if you say anything negative about ncl on this forum people freak out. you would think that people would want to hear honest opinions. guess not.

[CruisnGram]

Welcome to cruise critic! :rolleyes:

 

CG

[CalVulcan0608]

As for the food, I think that's probably more a matter of opinion than fact, I can sit down at ANY place to eat and probably find things on the menu that aren't to my liking.

 

As for the picture prices...welcome to 2009! Several years ago I worked part-time during the summer for extra money at an amusement park selling pictures from rides. A single photo was over $15 and if you wanted more than one I think the cheapest was $22. Photography, especially on things such as this are always going to be way overpriced. If you want a picture cheap, take your digital camera and take pictures! Its not that hard of a concept.

[megacruiser78]

As for the food, I think that's probably more a matter of opinion than fact, I can sit down at ANY place to eat and probably find things on the menu that aren't to my liking.

 

of course its a matter of opinion. isnt that the point. but ive been on 6 previous cruises and have never had food this bad (even on carnival)

 

and as fas as the portions being small. im 5 feet tall and weigh 106 lbs. and i left the dinning room hungry every night. if it wasnt enough to fill me up then the portions were pretty small.

[CruisnGram]

i was on the same cruise as the op. i could not agree with them more. venetian was terrible for dinner. the choices offered were not great.

 

I'm baffled because I think that the choices are decent. 4 or 5 entree's that differ every night plus the always available choices if you don't like one of that nights entree's. I've never been on Celebrity but do they offer more then 10 choices every night?

 

and the food was terrible quality and very small portions. the only nights we enjoyed were the lobster nights. but even then- only half a lobster tail??? come on!!!

 

Did you ask for more? I love the fact that NCL's portions are smaller because frankly, after having an appetizer, soup, and salad, I can't eat a huge entree. If it's something I like, I just ask for more. I don't care for fish so on lobster night, I always tell them to hold the fish and give me 2 or 3 lobster tails. The request is always honored...with a smile.

lebistro and cagneys were good but they certainly dont blow celebritys food away. in fact i made the comment at cagneys to my husband "this meal is more like what we got on celebrity in the free dining room" and he agreed.

 

I have no comment here as I've never cruised Celebrity (and never will due to their extreme smoking policy). However, I will say that food is a subjective subject. While you feel that Celebrity food is far better, others will disagree. A matter of opinion.

its funny that if you say anything negative about ncl on this forum people freak out. you would think that people would want to hear honest opinions. guess not.

 

The original poster is a 1st time poster that posts negative info with no examples to back it up. That is much different then someone posting a balanced review, stating both postive and negative and giving reasons for their opinions. People do want to hear honest opinions WITH examples, not just negativity posted from people who just "happen" to find cruise critic after they've had a bad experience.

 

CG

[Mooder]

My family just returned from our cruise on the Norweigian Dawn. We are in our mid 30s/early 40s with a 5 year old son. Needless to say' date=' NCL and Freestyle is not for me. The food was some of the worst I have experienced on a cruise and do not feel the specialty restaurants are worth the extra charges. I truly felt nickle and dimed to death on this cruise. Everything was extra cost. Photos were expensive, 1 for $17.99! The only truly good thing about the cruise was the nightly entertainment and shows. Very enjoyable! My son did enjoy the Kids Center for the and the kids pool area was good too. He spent about 2-4 hours there each day usually for dinner and early evening. We had a balcony stateroom, BA, Deck 10, 10080. It was small! There was no good spot in the room to get ready (i.e. hair dryer, makeup area). The ship overall was in good condition but the stateroom was not the cleanest. Embarkation and Disembarkation were both smooth and not too lengthy.

 

Tendering was not very smooth. We decided not to get off in Samana because it was taking so long to get tendering going that it just didn't seem worth it. Talking to other people, I think we made the right choice. We heard it was very trashy and not worth the stop. St. Thomas was the same as I remember. Tortola was very nice and the Dolphin Encounter was fun but also overpriced. Nassau was much improved over my last visit and I enjoyed walking through the shops. Too cold to visit the beach that day!

 

The spa was nice. I enjoyed several hot stone massages and a seaweed wrap done by Mary Ann. She was very sweet and did a great job.

 

I felt that freestyle was just too impersonal overall. I chose the cruise thinking the freestyle would be better for my son. The Kids Buffet is a great idea and my son loved eating at the tables sized for him. It was a lesson learned by me. I will likely stick with Princess, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Their quality is way above what I experienced on NCL and a bit more traditional. My last NCL cruise was on the Norway years ago before freestyle and that was one of the best ones ever! She was a wonderful ship and will be missed!

 

All in all, it was good to be away from the Vermont cold and I made the best of the vacation.[/quote']

 

Thank you for your very balanced review - with enough detail to let us know what you liked and why you will not return. Freestyle is certainly not for everyone and you did the only way to find out. For me, it is the only way I would ever cruise and I love the food. That's why it is so wonderful that there are choices out there. Happy cruising!!

[CruisnGram]

As for the food, I think that's probably more a matter of opinion than fact, I can sit down at ANY place to eat and probably find things on the menu that aren't to my liking.

 

of course its a matter of opinion. isnt that the point. but ive been on 6 previous cruises and have never had food this bad (even on carnival)

 

Please give examples of how it was "bad".

 

and as fas as the portions being small. im 5 feet tall and weigh 106 lbs. and i left the dinning room hungry every night. if it wasnt enough to fill me up then the portions were pretty small.

 

I'm sorry but I cannot believe this. You left HUNGRY? Did you ask for more food? If you didn't, then leaving hungry was your problem, not the cruise lines.

 

CG

[Mooder]

 

I'm sorry but I cannot believe this. You left HUNGRY? Did you ask for more food? If you didn't, then leaving hungry was your problem, not the cruise lines.

 

CG

 

You've got a point. I have never spent one second hungry on a cruise. :) I usually have the opposite problem, I am dying to eat the wonderful offerings and don't have any room for it. But I think we should give the OP a break. As I said above, freestyle is not for everyone and once you don't like the style of a cruise, nothing else is going to impress. It's human nature. In light of that, she mentioned some very positive things. It is what I look for in a review. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't and I can decide if those are important things to me. People with kids will be thrilled her kids liked the kids club, people who like massages, etc etc.

[snorklinbarb]

i was on the same cruise as the op. i could not agree with them more. venetian was terrible for dinner. the choices offered were not great. and the food was terrible quality and very small portions. the only nights we enjoyed were the lobster nights. but even then- only half a lobster tail??? come on!!!

lebistro and cagneys were good but they certainly dont blow celebritys food away. in fact i made the comment at cagneys to my husband "this meal is more like what we got on celebrity in the free dining room" and he agreed. its funny that if you say anything negative about ncl on this forum people freak out. you would think that people would want to hear honest opinions. guess not.

 

Asking for some examples to support strong criticism such as "the worst ever" is not "freaking out."

 

On another thread someone mentioned all the food was excellent. I also asked them for some more detail.

 

It's awfully hard to evaluate a review, especially when it goes counter to the Dawn's receiving several 5* reviews recently, when no color is given.

 

That's all we asked for. We'd also like to know how they handled their tremendous disappointment - talked to maitre d/restaurant mgr? Did the staff help resolve the food problems?

 

How was the service?

[jlmza2350]

Welcome to cruise critic! :rolleyes:

 

CG

 

This person joined in 2004. ;)

 

I doubt she joined over 4 years ago to post a negative review on NCL.

[Mooder]

 

I thought I quoted, but it is not showing, for clarity's sake, this is addressed to "NOTMYCCNAME"

I agree with most if not all of what you said but I am amazed that you changed your name to do so. :confused: Why let other people's "flames" bother you? If you are indeed experienced on here, you know how must salt to take it with. While I usually defend the cheerleaders (and am one), feeling that the over-the-top negative reviews require a strong response, I felt this review was sufficiently balanced and not deserving of criticism. But please, let us know who you are!

[deanna1178]

goodness..she was just sharing her opinions on the cruise :-P

 

I have been on the Dawn and personal, NCL and that particular ship is my favorite. I have cruised Carnival, RCCL and Celebrity and the entire time on those ships....I am constantly comparing it to NCL.

 

freestyle isn't for everyone...for sure isn't traditional but I always feel I am being nickeled and dime regardless of my vacation location ,lol!!! that is what 'tourist' spots do...out for every dime they get from you.

[MeganSmiles]

My family just returned from our cruise on the Norweigian Dawn. We are in our mid 30s/early 40s with a 5 year old son. Needless to say' date=' NCL and Freestyle is not for me. The food was some of the worst I have experienced on a cruise and do not feel the specialty restaurants are worth the extra charges. I truly felt nickle and dimed to death on this cruise. Everything was extra cost. Photos were expensive, 1 for $17.99! The only truly good thing about the cruise was the nightly entertainment and shows. Very enjoyable! My son did enjoy the Kids Center for the and the kids pool area was good too. He spent about 2-4 hours there each day usually for dinner and early evening. We had a balcony stateroom, BA, Deck 10, 10080. It was small! There was no good spot in the room to get ready (i.e. hair dryer, makeup area). The ship overall was in good condition but the stateroom was not the cleanest. Embarkation and Disembarkation were both smooth and not too lengthy.

 

Tendering was not very smooth. We decided not to get off in Samana because it was taking so long to get tendering going that it just didn't seem worth it. Talking to other people, I think we made the right choice. We heard it was very trashy and not worth the stop. St. Thomas was the same as I remember. Tortola was very nice and the Dolphin Encounter was fun but also overpriced. Nassau was much improved over my last visit and I enjoyed walking through the shops. Too cold to visit the beach that day!

 

The spa was nice. I enjoyed several hot stone massages and a seaweed wrap done by Mary Ann. She was very sweet and did a great job.

 

I felt that freestyle was just too impersonal overall. I chose the cruise thinking the freestyle would be better for my son. The Kids Buffet is a great idea and my son loved eating at the tables sized for him. It was a lesson learned by me. I will likely stick with Princess, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Their quality is way above what I experienced on NCL and a bit more traditional. My last NCL cruise was on the Norway years ago before freestyle and that was one of the best ones ever! She was a wonderful ship and will be missed!

 

All in all, it was good to be away from the Vermont cold and I made the best of the vacation.[/quote']

I'm sorry that your cruise on the Dawn wasn't what you expected. You are right...just being away from the cold must have been nice.

 

I haven't been lucky enough to take a cruise yet...but do enjoy reading all reviews..the good & the bad. Since NCL sails from NY and I live in NJ I tend to follow them the most.

 

I hope the next cruise you take is wonderful. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[luddite]

Freestyle Cruising isn't everyone's cup of tea. You won't know until you try it. Now that you've tried it and found it lacking, may we assume that you'll cruise another line in the future?

 

Those of us who like Freestyle and the good food on NCL ships will certainly hope you cruise another line.

[megacruiser78]

omg. this is seriously ridiculous. in response to some earlier criticism of my comments.

 

i did in fact ask for extra portions on lobster night. which as i said, the lobster was good. but i never asked for extra portions on any other night because the food was not good in the first place. why would i want more!!!!

 

and unlike other cruise lines, ncl only offered 3 courses. soup, salad, and starters were grouped together as one course. then main dishes, then dessert. a few times i asked for salad and a starter and they were fine with it. but again the choices and food quality kept me from wanting to order extra.

 

in the defense of ncl. breakfast in the dining room was good. dinner was just plain bad. sorry if this ruffles your feathers ncl worshipers.

[jondirk]

 

in the defense of ncl. breakfast in the dining room was good. dinner was just plain bad. sorry if this ruffles your feathers ncl worshipers.

 

Doesn't ruffle my feathers. I also ordered two lobster tails. Didn't order two of the other entrees because they pretty much filled me up. I loved every dinner I had in the main restaurants and loved the desserts even more. I DID have to order two desserts each night because I didn't want to miss out in case something wasn't offered the next night. :)

[luddite]

Naw, you didn't ruffle us worshippers feathers. We are just excited that you've decided that freestyle isn't what you want to do. That means we won't hafta put up with you on our next NCL trip.

Its a win-win situation, dontcha think?

[megacruiser78]

Naw, you didn't ruffle us worshippers feathers. We are just excited that you've decided that freestyle isn't what you want to do. That means we won't hafta put up with you on our next NCL trip.

Its a win-win situation, dontcha think?[/quotes

 

so let me make sure i have this right....because i defended the op (who was in my opinion being attacked )by agreeing with them that one aspect of my trip ( the food on the ship/ which is entirely subjective) was not good, you are glad not to have to put up with me???? wow. what happens if i didnt like the service or thought the rooms were too small, or god forbid that the ship wasnt nice.

guess if i dont share your opinions on a vacation im a terrible person.

[GSLMOM]

I agrree that all of the criticism is RIDICULOUS!:( We sailed on NCL's Spirit a few years ago and felt the exact same way. The food left a lot to be desired and we did not like the Freestyle Cruising. We ate at Cagneys twice and our first experience was fantastic and our second was not. We also felt like we were being nickled and dimed. As an example, I attended a "workshop" where they gave you very little information and then told you if you wanted more information, you could meet privately with the instructor for $50... We didn't feel that way on Disney (our favorite), Carnival or Celebrity. We did love the entertainment on the Spirit and the ports were great.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Insults are not necessary! Life is too short!:rolleyes:

[Mooder]

I agrree that all of the criticism is RIDICULOUS!:( We sailed on NCL's Spirit a few years ago and felt the exact same way. The food left a lot to be desired and we did not like the Freestyle Cruising. We ate at Cagneys twice and our first experience was fantastic and our second was not. We also felt like we were being nickled and dimed. As an example, I attended a "workshop" where they gave you very little information and then told you if you wanted more information, you could meet privately with the instructor for $50... We didn't feel that way on Disney (our favorite), Carnival or Celebrity. We did love the entertainment on the Spirit and the ports were great.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Insults are not necessary! Life is too short!:rolleyes:

 

I don't believe the OP has been insulted - pressed for detail perhaps, but that is natural. A subsequent poster escalated the debate and the responses followed suit. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy NCL. How did the price compare to the Disney cruises you've taken? I love Disney World and characters and hope to take Disney cruise someday, but cannot afford it.

[GSLMOM]

The Disney cruise we went on was in 2001 and we had a balcony room and it was expensive. It cost at least $2000 more than our NCL cruise (2005) - where we stayed in an inside cabin, and did not require air fare. I would cruise NCL again but only if the price is right.