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Dawn 9 Night Southern Caribbean Review (long but separated!)


ShedQueen77

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Background

This was my family’s first NCL cruise after two previous Carnival cruises. I am 33 and my husband is 39. We have three kids, ages 14, 9, and 7.

 

Pre-Cruise/Miami

We stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami in a port view room. The hotel is pretty nice and it suited our purpose, a place to sleep for the night. We took a cab to Bayside ($10 + tip each way), browsed the shops, ate at Bubba Gumps, and stopped at CVS on the way back for some soda to take on board. We woke up to see our ship, Norwegian Sky, Carnival Imagination and a Royal Caribbean ship I couldn’t identify right off hand in our view.

 

Embarkation

We left the Marriott at 10:30am and spent $10 + tip in taxi fare get to the pier. The porters were very friendly; they took our two bags and pointed us in the right direction to board. The boarding process itself was pretty typical; through security, to the NCL check in counter, and up to the lounge to wait. We sat where we were directed until we were told when we could head on board. While sitting and waiting, we overheard two NCL badged employees talking (not quietly and in front of a lot of passengers) about how “none of these idiots listen when we tell them to” and gesturing to a crowd of people in the seating area….wow….OK….but I’m not letting a few dolts ruin my first impression of NCL.

We were on board and eating at the Garden Café by 12:20. Our luggage arrived around 3:30.

 

Meet and Greet

I did get to attend our roll call’s Meet and Greet, although I was a bit late as we got lost (yeah, laugh now! lol) trying to find Impressions. We actually had found it but there was a cooking class or something going on in the room in front of the door so we walked by it several times. It was nice to meet everyone (minus a few…we had almost 100 signed up but I think only 40-ish showed up) that I’ve been chatting with for the past year or so.

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The Ship

 

Cabin:

We initially booked two connecting ocean view cabins (Category H upgraded to D due to promotion) but we accepted an upsell to two connecting BA cabins, which were 10688 and 10690. Yes, the cabins on NCL are smaller than Carnival but we knew this and were prepared. Despite the smaller size, the cabins on NCL are very nicely appointed. If you like hard beds, you’ll love the beds on NCL. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people so this was a long 9 nights of uncomfortable sleep. The Dawn has mini refrigerators in all of their cabins which we found very nice and useful. We were pleased overall with the cabins. Our steward was great, bringing us the few things we asked and always a pleasure to speak with when we saw him in the hallways.

 

Dining:

I really like the Freestyle concept. We always had somewhere to eat that was “appropriate” for our style of dress. Jeans and shorts were welcome in the Aqua but not in the Venetian so on the nights we didn’t feel like wearing khakis, we either went to the Aqua, the Blue Lagoon, or the Garden Café. No big deal, there really is something for everyone.

 

 

Main Dining Rooms:

We chose to dine at the Aqua our first night. We were seated immediately but the service from that point was not that good. It took us three hours to get through our meal. I sat with an empty water glass for 45 minutes at one point and getting our waiter’s attention was just not happening because we never saw him or only saw him fleetingly and could not get his attention. It got to the point where two other waiters took over his service and got us through our meal. The food was OK, but lukewarm at best.

We ate at the Venetian on a few of the other nights. The service there was better as was the temperature of our food…but still slower than it should be.

 

 

Garden Café (Buffet):

We enjoyed the breakfast options at the buffet. The omelets were great and there was a very nice selection of fresh fruit every morning. They do need to scramble their eggs a bit longer though, they are quite loose almost to the point of runny. Apple, cranberry, and orange juices were offered along with milk, coffee, and tea.

 

 

We ate dinner at the buffet for one night and found it adequate but not our favorite. Thank you my Cruise Critic friends for alerting me to the pretzel rolls because they are the BEST. We all loved them.

 

 

I wish that there was at least one other juice option outside of breakfast like a lemonade or something. We brought Hawaiian Punch single packets and a 32 oz Rubbermaid drink container and kept that in the mini fridge for us to drink along with the soda.

 

 

I like that there is a “Kids Café” available for the younger kids to be able to serve themselves and to have the option of some more typical kid fare to choose from.

 

 

Blue Lagoon:

We loved, loved, LOVED the Blue Lagoon. The service is excellent and the food is absolutely delicious. The fish and chips, the buffalo wings, and the grilled chicken sandwich were all great. I don’t think I ordered anything that I did not like.

 

 

We chose not to dine at any of the specialty restaurants because with 5 people dining we decided that our money was better spent in other places

 

Kids Club

We signed up all three kids for the Kids Club and got the brochures showing the kids’ respective age group schedules. The girls participated in a slumber party (on the last night until 10pm…not sure if that was the best planning), colored their own t-shirts, made flower leis, and had free play time. My son reviewed the brochure and didn’t see anything that caught his interest so he did not go. There was only one other kid his age signed up for the program anyhow.

 

Shows, Casino, and Miscellaneous Thoughts

We had a very nice photographer (Antonio) one night who took some excellent photographs of my family…better than any cruise or studio photos we’ve ever had taken. He was also very friendly and patient as well as talented. We saw him several times throughout the cruise and he always remembered our names and stopped to chat.

 

 

Thumbs up for NCL who, at the request of several passengers, found a way to broadcast the NFL games everyone requested!

 

 

We tried the casino one night. No winnings (didn’t expect it either! J) and we found the selection of slot machines somewhat lacking.

 

 

We did shop somewhat on board. There is the typical jewelry selection (which my husband did buy a tanzanite ring that I liked) and a limited selection of NCL merchandise. We found more of the Del Sol and other items from the “ports of call” than anything else. There is a large selection of different types of cigarettes available.

 

 

We saw the “South Beach Rave” show and it well, wasn’t that great. We also saw Charles Peachock’s show (he’s a juggler) and he was awesome.

 

 

 

My girls did a round of karaoke on two nights and everyone in the audience was really nice to them.

 

 

We ordered the Bon Voyage backpacks for the kids which were not in our cabin when we arrived. I had read here that we would have to take our certificates up to the Kids Club to get them but I’m still wondering what is the point of a Bon Voyage gift that we have to go fetch…and this would have been probably fine except for the fact that we didn’t have the certificates either so it was a big hassle getting them from the Kids Club even with a receipt that I brought along. They were really nice about exchanging the t-shirt sizes though.

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Disembarkation

I really like the Freestyle Debarkation process. You go to the display and pick the tags for the time you want to go and wait for them to call that color (if you don’t self-disembark). We chose when we wanted to leave (10am) and the process was really painless. No crowds, no long lines….much smoother than any debarkation I’ve done to date.

 

Overall Impression:

The Dawn needs her drydock. We saw several buckets in the hallways and public spaces catching leaks when it rained. I do like the overall décor though and it is a really clean ship. The ship was also pitching more than what seemed normal for the sea conditions. Several other people commented on it throughout the cruise, so I am confident it wasn’t just me.

 

 

It seemed to me that a lot of the crew members just didn’t want to be there; the smiling, happy, “What can I help you with?” crew was definitely in the minority. We were grateful for those we did encounter and made sure they were recognized on the STYLE cards. We found the activities on board somewhat lacking; especially for the kids. There wasn’t as much of a variety as we had expected…or maybe it was that we couldn’t find much that was our style of entertainment. Either way you see it, that’s how we felt. I actually wrote most of this review while on the cruise because I had time.

 

 

As for whether we would go on another NCL cruise or recommend one, I’d have to say maybe…if the price and ports are right and NCL beats the competition. The ports made this cruise a good one for us more than the ship itself. I very likely wouldn’t cruise NCL with the kids again. I think Carnival was a better fit for them and they said so as well.

 

 

That last part being said…for those who are looking for our opinion of NCL vs. Carnival, because I know this question gets asked a lot….here’s my scorecard with the “winner” noted:

 

 

Ship Décor and Layout: NCL

Cabins: Size – Carnival, Appointment – NCL

Food: Dining Rooms – Carnival, Buffets – NCL

Service: Carnival

Activities/Entertainment: Carnival

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PORTS OF CALL:

 

Samana

I would recommend that you book SOMETHING in Samana or stay on the ship; there isn’t that much out there that we could see that you would be able to do on your own. We booked the Sea Lion Encounter through NCL.

 

 

 

We met in the Stardust Theater at 10:45am and proceeded to our tender.

The Sea Lion Encounter was amazing. We were in groups of 10 and were able to feed, pet, kiss, and see the tricks of a female sea lion on shore while our guide taught us about the animals. We took a short walk down the water and were able to get in and play with a male sea lion. We pet him and watched his tricks.

 

 

Pictures are not allowed during the encounter, as is the standard with excursions like this (think Dolphin Swim.) We were able to purchase a CD with 55 pictures of our family interacting with the sea lions and with about 10 pictures of the island included for $65. I was amazed and pleased that so many pictures cost so little vs. the hundreds that we spent on Dolphin Encounter photos on other stops. This is a fun excursion for kids and adults alike and I would recommend it.

 

Tortola

We booked a tour of the Baths with Tortola Charters for this port. For $260 total our family of five was promised a cruise aboard the “Sea Ray” to the Baths for a guided tour lasting four hours. To be provided to us were flotation belts for the kids, bottled water, snorkel equipment, and for purchase sodas, t-shirts, hats, and other souvenirs.

 

 

We were scheduled to leave at 10am for the excursion, but the ship was a bit late clearing so we were not able to get to our meeting point until 10:05. When we arrived we found that our excursion had left without us (which strikes me as odd considering most tours know when the ships are running behind) but Tortola Charters left us, another couple, and three younger girls in the charge of Egbert. Egbert informed us that we would not be snorkeling from the anchored boat but rather that we would be brought ashore on Devil’s Bay instead. This was OK because we figured this would work better for the kids and getting all of our things on shore.

 

 

Egbert (who most definitely did NOT give a good first impression; very abrupt and bossy) led us to his maybe 20 ft. fishing type boat (NOT our private charter we were promised) and ordered us to stow our belongings under the bow and “sit in the back.” His dinky little boat took us to the Baths on the Devil’s Bay side. We were never offered drinks of any sort. Approaching the island, he ordered my husband to GET TO THE BOW, JUMP OFF, AND BRING THE BOAT TO SHORE. Yes, my husband had to get out and pull the boat ashore and was YELLED at because he “wasn’t doing it right.” We were dumped on Devil’s Bay and told to “get to the other side and find Egbert’s brother who would sell us t-shirts and drinks.” The other people on board agreed to a 4pm pick up time and off Egbert went, leaving us no guidance, no water, no nothing.

 

 

We attempted to get through the Baths but with three kids in tow and the crowds coming through from the other side, we only made it half way before we had to turn around and go back. We spent a few hours on the beach but after a little over 4 hours with no water, we were all getting tired and just wanted to go back. We decided to take it upon ourselves to hike back up to the car park and get a cab down to Speedy’s Ferry Service and go back to the ship. We did let the others know we were going so that Egbert wouldn’t have to wait. The tour has a written satisfaction guarantee or you do not pay, so we chose to invoke this and leave.

 

 

We managed the hike up and got our cab; catching Speedy’s 3:30 ferry back to Tortola. Speedy’s has a very nice boat and had us back to their pick up point in a half hour. We almost made it back to the ship when we were literally accosted by Egbert, inside the ship’s “secure” area, demanding “his” money. I explained the reasons we were dissatisfied and that I was willing to at least pay for the ride he gave us to the Baths, but I would not pay full price as we were not satisfied at all. He completely flipped his lid, pulled out his phone, and called the police. I said fine, I’m not paying any of it then. At this point, my husband is getting more than irate and the yelling between them started so port security (*snort*) got involved. After the police arrived, we showed our papers indicating the satisfaction guarantee and were told that we would have to pay Egbert and take up our refund with Tortola Charters. I got Egbert to sign a paid receipt (which was my email), threw him the money, and got back to the ship in tears from anger.

 

 

I immediately got on board the ship and used my cell phone (I don’t even want to see that bill) to call Tortola Charters and explain what happened. I spoke to Bill and I was told we could have the refund and that he was sorry, that Egbert doesn’t work for his company and that he only uses him as a last resort so everyone gets to “experience” what they paid for…and he says that Egbert will no longer be contacted to take his customers. We did receive our check in the mail today from Tortola Charters. While I am appreciative for getting the money back and Bill’s prompt response to our disastrous experience, I still am disappointed that we did not get to get the true experience of the Baths and that we had to go through all of that. It was quite scary thinking about having been involved in a potential legal issue in a foreign country, especially with my three kids witnessing all of it.

 

 

If I learned anything from this experience, it is to make sure you have all of your confirmations, conditions, and phone numbers IN HAND if you book private excursions. My husband used to tease me about bringing my “folder of fun” (a 3 ring binder with all of that information in it) but now he knows why I do it…because you just never know.

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Antigua

We took a cab to Sandhaven/Runaway Beach for $8/pp round trip. Our driver was exceptionally courteous and offered to return and pick us up as well. We have visited Sandhaven in the past and enjoyed our visit this time as well. Since our last visit three years ago, the beach has somewhat eroded and isn’t as wide as it used to be. There are also now lifeguards on duty.

 

Barbados

We booked an island tour with Cameron Reid (Scenic Barbados) on Barbados. It was $165 for a four hour tour for our family of 5. He told us via email where to go and he’d be there with a sign with our names and he was right where he said he would be. We had a private van and as promised, Cameron took us anywhere we wanted to go. We returned to Foul Bay where we got married and Cameron took us literally around the entire island. We saw all of the sites and learned a lot about the history of Barbados thanks to Cameron. He is a lifelong native and is very proud of his home. I would highly recommend his services; he is professional, friendly, and delivers what he promises.

 

St. Kitts

We booked a tour with Rose and Jim’s Taxi on St. Kitts for $41/pp. Rose met us right on time as promised and Jim showed us all the highlights of St. Kitts, including the Brimstone Fortress, Black Rock, and the exact point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea, which was really cool. My son is a military history buff and really enjoyed Brimstone. We had to almost drag him away! Our day ended with an hour stop at Cockleshell near the Reggae Bar and Grill. We didn’t eat anything there. The beach here is small and getting out in to the water is a bit rocky. I would watch your step or wear water shoes.

 

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll answer the best that I can. Thanks for reading all of this through!

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Thank you for the comparison of NCL to Carnival. Friends we just cruised with were on NCL once for the itinerary (Southern Caribbean), but were not too impressed with the line. Felt the other guests were a bit older and kind of dull (we are late thirties). They didn't go into a lot of detail, but also were not huge fans of the freestyle cruising either. Before I cruised and experienced the regular dining service I would have been intrigued with freestyle, but I am now a huge fan of regular dining at the same time with the same wait staff in a nice, slightly more upscale environment than the buffet or casual dining.

 

I am especially grateful for the detailed experience with your attempt to see the Baths. Haven't done any research, but already figured out that is the thing to do in Tortola (and would like to do a Southern or Eastern Caribbean cruise someday so hopefully will get there eventually). Glad you did get your money back in the end, but what a sad fact about the guide and having to go through that in a foreign country.

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First let me say this was an excellent review, OP. Thanks for writing it and sharing it with us.

 

I am so sorry about your experience with your tour of the Baths. That is an amazing beach and I always recommend it to people. What a horrible experience for you. Glad that in the end it did work out for you to get your money back. That actually speaks volumes for the company IMHO. I am sure that had to be scary back on the dock with the police and all.

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Thank you for a good review. I appreciated it especially because we will be on the same itinerary on the Feb. 25 sailing.

 

You're welcome. I'm sure you'll have a great time....it's all in what you make of the "bad" that you *may* encounter. Focus on the positives and let the negatives roll off the best you can. I use that advice on every cruise I take. :)

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Thank you for the comparison of NCL to Carnival. Friends we just cruised with were on NCL once for the itinerary (Southern Caribbean), but were not too impressed with the line. Felt the other guests were a bit older and kind of dull (we are late thirties). They didn't go into a lot of detail, but also were not huge fans of the freestyle cruising either. Before I cruised and experienced the regular dining service I would have been intrigued with freestyle, but I am now a huge fan of regular dining at the same time with the same wait staff in a nice, slightly more upscale environment than the buffet or casual dining.

 

I am especially grateful for the detailed experience with your attempt to see the Baths. Haven't done any research, but already figured out that is the thing to do in Tortola (and would like to do a Southern or Eastern Caribbean cruise someday so hopefully will get there eventually). Glad you did get your money back in the end, but what a sad fact about the guide and having to go through that in a foreign country.

 

We are in about that age group and that's how we felt about the majority of the other passengers too. I attributed it to the fact that it was a longer itinerary, which tends to draw an older crowd. I wonder if it's the same on the 7 night or less NCL cruises?

 

I think I like being able to dine when I want to especially with the kids, whose activities for the day determine when they feel hungry for dinner or whether I can wake them up from their nap or not! :) I will admit that personal service doesn't happen with Freestyle, but if you can find a waiter that you like you can always request to be seated in his/her section.

 

I am sure we'll see the Baths again someday and enjoy it!

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First let me say this was an excellent review, OP. Thanks for writing it and sharing it with us.

 

I am so sorry about your experience with your tour of the Baths. That is an amazing beach and I always recommend it to people. What a horrible experience for you. Glad that in the end it did work out for you to get your money back. That actually speaks volumes for the company IMHO. I am sure that had to be scary back on the dock with the police and all.

 

That is why I didn't go all nuts and post a scathing review of the company. It was a horrible experience, God willing it never happens again, but in the end it was made right and it was taken care of quickly by Tortola Charters. Granted it never should have happened, but it did and no one is perfect all of the time.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Very detailed review, thanks!

Sorry about the trouble with Egbert~glad it was handled by the tour company.

 

How much was the upsell to the balcony cabins? (asking because I am taking three kids and have connecting oceanview cabins, too)

 

$600 for all of us, the going price was about $900. My kids got a huge kick out of the balcony. It was worth every penny. :)

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