Review of Dawn 6/10/06-6/17/06

Well, my boyfriend and I have just returned from the beautiful Norwegian Dawn this weekend. It was a beautiful and wonderful time (too bad we're back!) I guess this would be the perfect time to tell others about how I viewed the ship since I got so much vital information from these boards before I left on the Dawn. So here goes:

Food.

I have heard this countless of times, over and over again. The food on the ship is not superb, but is not as horrible as many have come to say on these boards. The first night we had sushi at the Bamboo restaurant. For those of you looking for sashimi or a wide array of sushi, it wouldn't be worth it. The list to choose from is very limited, so we just asked the chef to make a bunch of salmon sushi. ***IMPT: Do not get the saki if you are expecting to pay less than $9! We must have drank 3 before asking how much they were each. Our bill came out to be more than $60, which was definitely not worth it. We still went another day, only didn't drink the sake. (All you can eat sushi for $10, you can't beat that!) We also tried out Le Bistro (it has a cover charge of $15 a person), which I wouldn't recommend. The atmosphere was very pleasant (you get to sit amongst original artwork), yet the mood was killed if you sit right next to the kitchen (yes, the kitchen faces outwards so as you're having a wonderful dinner you also get to check out the cooks frantically making your order. This puzzles me why they would set the restaurant up like that :confused: ) The food at Le Bistro was mediocre. I would have preferred to spend the $30 we spent at the restaurant somewhere else. All others that didn't have a cover charge had good food and very prompt service. All the servers were amazing and very, very friendly. Word of caution: Book and reserve where you are going to eat well in advance. Although Norwegian likes to think of itself as "Freestyle", it's important to reserve tables fast because they tend to book up very, very early. Another policy that bit my boyfriend in the butt was the dress code. Yes, they are extremely picky about the "no jeans" policy. I wore a sundress while my boyfriend wore nice expensive jeans with a nice shirt and shoes. Still, he was turned away, while the family in front of us wore faded black jeans and an oversized shirt (how do you figure that out?). It was a minor inconvenience and it most certainly did not affect our mood.

Entertainment.

I have been on many cruises with my family and I noticed a difference in enertainment with this ship. Maybe it had to do with many college students, but the entertainment seemed to pertain more for the younger crowd. Yes, there was a magic show and many other things, but for the majority, it seemed to be comedy shows. My parents, I know for a fact, were not interested or impressed in the itinieraries that we had. I think if you are a hard-core cruiser, like my parents, this is not a ship for you. There was the same shows you find in other ships (Newlywed, etc.) but one particular show that is unique to this ship is "THe Quest", a unique take of a scavanger hunt. I loved this show but as I looked around, I could tell that many older people were not happy about what was done and said on the stage. (No profanity but there was some touchy moments where I know my mom would have rolled her eyes haha) Dazzles, the nightclub, also was the hangout spot for the young crowd at night.

Ports.

The Dawn only had a limited time in each port, making sightseeing virtually impossible. In Bermuda, we were docked near the Royal Naval Dockyard so to any city it would be about 30 minutes to get to. Since it was a holiday, we decided to go to Horseshoe Bay. It was nice, but I would have liked to stay a bit longer. Great Stirrup Cay was nice but beware there are a lot of rocks in the beach!!!!! I see many people slip because of the slippery surface of these rocks. I didn't like the idea of the rocks being beneath my feet so we rented a float for $10. Unlike what most people said, we weren't one of the first to get there but we still found ample spots to set our stuff at. If you want to leave back on teh boat, try to leave at least an half hour before so as to avoid waiting in line in the sweltering sun. We left about an hour before and saw the line getting longer and longer by the second. We reached Bahamas within a few hours after leaving Great Stirrup Cay. The ship docked from 8pm-12pm the following day. For those with children or the elderly, this itinerary isn't the best or safest. Many people, particularly the younger ones, went to Atlantis or Senor Frogs, right near the boat. It is VERY VERY dangerous to walk around by yourself at night. Even in a taxi, many of us were nervous driving around the city. The Straw MArket opens at 8am the next day and it gives you ample time to see some sights before having to return on the boat by 11am.

OVERALL.

I loved this vacation!! The food wasn't great but I loved the entire experience. People were friendly including staff and cruisers. The Cruise Director was hilarious and made you feel at home. Hopefullly , we'll be able to go on another cruise very , very soon, even possibly the Norwegian Dawn ;)

Thank-you so much for the upbeat review. We are celebrating our 40th anniversary on the same cruise July 15th. We have cruised many times this is our second time on NCL. We love the laid back feel of their ships. No suits if you want. Hubby likes that part. We have not been to Nassau for over 20 years so looking forward to seeing that. Thanks again. Vicki

Not2divaish,

Just wondering why you felt that Nassau wasn't safe at night?

Glad to hear you had a great cruise - we are going next Saturday!!!!

Not2divaish,

Nice review!

**waving hands** I was one of those people (same week) who slipped on the rocks near shore at GSC. I even had water sandals on! LOL! Flat on my stomach, but luckily didn't get scraped up. One of life's "most embarressing moments" I guess. :)

I'm a bit surprised that you didn't care for Le Bistro. Although an upcharge restaurant, they are usually everyone's favorite. We were seated near the kitchen on one of our cruises, so I know what you mean there. Yes, they should have layed out the floor plan a little better. (On the other hand, this time we were seated in the back, with our table quite close to another. We had nice conversation with these folks, but it was our anniversary celebration and they wouldn't leave us alone!) Except for our lobster tail being overcooked, our meal was wonderful, from Salmon Timbale and Escargot, caesar salad, Filet Mignon.......and last but no least the Chocolate Fondue....yum!

I think the shows are a nice mix, but trying to find some new entertainment after cruising the Dawn over a couple years...Not! Even Second City had the same unchanged skits, which leads me to believe the words called out by the audience are just a cover-up. There's obviously "plants" or people prepped with the words to call out....same as last November! Did your parents get to see South Beach Rave or Bollywood?

- o O o -

Jewelfine, I don't know for certain where it stems from, but we've always been advised to travel in groups in Nassau at night and not to stray from the main public areas. Even NCL crew made mention of it on our 1st cruise to Nassau. Best to be on the safe side.

"Even Second City had the same unchanged skits, which leads me to believe the words called out by the audience are just a cover-up. There's obviously "plants" or people prepped with the words to call out...."

Hi, My DS and I were on the Dawn last year, and we each called out a word for the skit, and they used them both. It still wasn't all that funny, but at leaste it's not set up.

Donna

Like JuneauMe, we've had our words chosen by Second City on the Dawn, the Jewel and the Spirit. At the Unscripted special show, we've seen fellow pax's suggestions taken. Certainly not a plant. I give them lots of credit. One time, asked for a theme for a song, one guy yelled out "Trashman." Though kind of funny, it was not one of the best skits.

Also on each ship we've seen a different show with only a couple of skits duplicated. Even with those, each "cast" gave its unique twist.

We're going on the Dawn again 7/1 so appreciate the reviews. Looking forward to seeing Matt the new CD as so many here have raved.

Is "Fire and Ice" (or another performer) in Dazzles these days? Sometimes we've seen only karaoke and other times good duos or even a single performer. What's going on there?

Who is the piano crooner in Gatsby's and Star Bar, if anyone has a freestyle daily handy. We've read here about Dan/Don Hodges (something like that) and are wondering if he's still around.

Hi, My DS and I were on the Dawn last year, and we each called out a word for the skit, and they used them both. It still wasn't all that funny, but at leaste it's not set up.

Donna

Like JuneauMe' date=' we've had our words chosen by Second City on the Dawn, the Jewel and the Spirit. At the Unscripted special show, we've seen fellow pax's suggestions taken. Certainly not a plant. I give them lots of credit. One time, asked for a theme for a song, one guy yelled out "Trashman." Though kind of funny, it was not one of the best skits.

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My bad! I shouldn't have implied all and I'm definitely not talking about the Improv at Spinnakers. The skit they do in their show at the Stardust, which includes acting out and guessing phrases, included very distinct words that no two random audiences would likely duplicate. For the life of me, I can't think of them, but it was indeed the same last November as well as this past one in June. (Picking my DH's brain didn't help either, but if I think of it you'll know what I mean.)

 

Nevertheless, we enjoy Second City and anyone seeing it for the 1st time wouldn't know otherwise anyways.

we liked it also and have already scheduled another one on her ....