Halloween on the Dawn 10/29 cruise review

I was on the Dawn 10/29-11/5 and wanted to post this review to help all those about to cruise her in thanks for everyone who helped me. The Dawn is my new favorite ship. I would go on this ship to any destination and would still love the cruise. This was my first NCL cruise and I was really impressed. For those reading my basis for comparison is: One 10 day Mediterranean cruise on the Golden Princess (which was my first cruise and it was fabulous), three transatlantic cruises (17 day Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen on the Grand Princess, 14 day NYC to London on the Grand Princess and 17 day Rome to Galveston on the Golden Princess), one 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Holland America Zuiderdam and one 10 day Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity Mercury. I really like Princess and they were (note the past tense) my first choice cruise line. I also liked Celebrity and would not hesitate to sail them again for the right price and itinerary but would not seek them out due to the traditional dining. Holland America is not for me and I likely will avoid that cruise line for years to come. My new first choice is NCL and I put a deposit in for a future cruise. However I still like Princess and have two future cruise deposits with them which I will likely use.

We flew in the night before to LaGuardia and stayed at the Courtyard Marriott at the airport for $179 ($206 with tax). This was an excellent choice, clean and quite. They had a complimentary shuttle to the hotel from the airport. At the check-in desk they have a sign that says they can arrange for a town car for $35 to go to NYC the next day. I ordered the car from the Bell Captain that night for 10:30 the next day. It was big enough for three of us with luggage and very clean and comfortable. We were at the port in no time.

We arrived at the dock around 11. The ship started to board around 12:30 and we were on by about 1 because we were decently high in the queue. I'm not sure what the optimum time to arrive would be for no wait but it would be later based on our experience. They had tea, coffee, banana bread and pound cake to help keep hunger away while you waited at the port. If you arrive early enough there are plenty of chairs to sit in to wait. After the chairs were full folks had to stand in line.

After entering the ship the greeters directed us to the buffet for lunch. But because we read the boards, we knew to go to the dining room. The greeter said sure, if it wasn't full. We got there and it was almost empty. We got a prime table next to the windows in the back and had a lovely lunch. I highly recommend the dining room (my first dish was marginal but I ordered another and it was better - overall I felt the lunch choices in the dining room were not great so ordered the turkey sandwich from the room service menu after the 2nd day). After lunch our rooms were available. I read on the boards that the mini-suites were very similar to the balcony rooms. I had a mini and a friend had a balcony. I found the mini to be materially larger and would recommend it for parties of 2 who enjoy spending time in the room or would like a little more storage. I really liked the second curtain that separated the sofa and the bed. It allowed me to make the room really dark for sleeping.

If you are visiting the Kennedy Space Center at Port Canaveral I recommend you take the ships tour. I went out to get a taxi and found no one else there. After waiting awhile another couple came up and we split the taxi fare. It was $38 to get there and the guy wanted us to pre-pay for him to come back. We didn’t want to do this since we didn’t know if he would. At the end of the day there were no taxi’s at the KSC to take us back. We lucked out and caught a ride with a hotel pick-up taxi. With the cost of the taxi fare the ship’s tour was only slightly more expensive so I would go that route if I go here again. There is so much to see at KSC I recommend you buy the cheapest ticket. I bough the NASA close up tour and I barely managed to see the two IMAX films after the tour and missed seeing quite a bit of the other exhibits. Near the taxi area (turn right instead of left after going under the bridge) there were shuttle buses for Cocoa beach for $8 rd trip. This was also the area to catch vans for rental cars. It may have been cheaper to rent a car to drive to KSC than to take a taxi so that is an option also.

In Freeport we easily got the $5 per person (they seat 10) broken down vans that they use to get you to the shopping center. We went to the beach. Go behind the resort that the taxi drops you off at. You can rent beach chairs for $10 each or just sit on the sand. There is also a swim up bar at the hotel that you can use the pool if you are ordering drinks. The hotel will call a much nicer van taxi to take you back.

At the private island if you get off late it looks like the beach is full. Go all the way to the left and you will find plenty of room and chairs to sit in with umbrellas. However until you walk over there it looks like the beach is packed completely full. Bring snorkel gear or rent it. You will see stingrays and colorful fish in this sheltered area.

I did not get off in Nassau but my friends did and got a 2 hr taxi tour of the area for $25 each that they really enjoyed.

I found the cruise entertainment to be very high quality. I especially liked South Beach Rave. Two of the dancers are professional ballroom dancers and are a delight to watch. I loved dining in the different dining rooms and finding the one that we liked best (Impressions). We went almost every day at 6 or 6:30 and never had to wait. I used the spa and spa area quite a bit and found them quiet and relaxing. I encourage NCL to keep the fee for access as it will keep this a peaceful oasis area. I highly recommend the facial. I did not think my sensitive skin would tolerate it but I loved it. Also look for the daily special. They are in hand outs in the spa (not always posted in the daily). The indoor pool was actually big enough for laps (I had my doubts before going) and was surprisingly empty enough for it also.

Do put the future cruise credit deposit down early if you are going to buy anything in the jewelry store. You get an additional $50 ship-board jewelry store coupon when your paperwork comes. This is on top of the $100 cruise credit that you get. On the $50 coupon it says you are eligible for a commemorative coin. When you get this coin it also has a jewelry store coupon attached ($45 or $75 depending on how much you spend). The first $50 coupon can be used on sale merchandise. The second one that comes on the coin has to be used for full priced merchandise. I thought the store had pretty good prices but you should be knowledgeable before buying. I’m still happy with my purchases after researching them on the net after getting home. However they had some very over priced Alexandrite that they were pushing. Somehow they seemed to think it was special and rare and therefore worth $3500 for a simple ring. You can get similar rings for $100s on the net. Although the cheaper ones are 14K and these were 18K I just didn’t get why they thought theirs were so special. So for Alexandrite on the ship I would say buyer beware. The jewelry store manager was very impressive. I overheard him dealing with problems and questions and he was very accommodating so if you run into a rule with the sales clerks or something that doesn’t feel right or fair to you just go to him.

Overall I have to say that the staff was very accommodating and helpful if there was a problem. I had the spa manager and jewelry manager help me out and my friend had the housekeeping manager help her out. We left the encounters feeling very good (and as a consequence spent lots more money so it was good for their business :)).

I liked the cruise director. I have never noticed the cruise director before but this guy made a generally good impression by being present a lot and always being involved in the activities. He was very approachable with questions. I also liked the captain. He announced useful information and got us in and out of all the ports on time. And he was nice and approachable when we asked to have our pictures taken with him at dinner on Halloween in our costumes (my friend was a pirate and he commented that he was not scared even though she was a pirate which showed his sense of humor). I did the murder mystery dinner which is a great idea to have on a cruise ship. Four out of our eight did not speak enough English to really participate but they were nice fun people so we worked around it. However I could see how this could be riot with a full group of people who could play the game. Do try the stretch and relax class. The full window view as the sun sets behind the instructor is stunning and the music they play is very relaxing. I also liked the Salsa dance class run by the professional ball room dancers.

We took the express disembarkation which went very smoothly. It was nice to be able to wait in our rooms until it started. We had no wait at all for a van taxi to take us back to the airport and were there by 11:30. As a result we caught an earlier flight home. However I still recommend asking the cruise line for their earliest recommended time for a flight and not booking before that to be safe. I have been on enough trips, cruises and otherwise to have learned not to cut it too close and cause yourself stress.

To wrap up there was one item I should have put in my comment card but forgot. I ordered a juice at the juice bar in the spa and it had so little fruit in it that it tasted like crushed ice with a dash of fruit. I should have said something before the guy turned the blender on as I could see it was well over ¾ ice but I didn’t. It had two strawberries, a small part of a banana, two tiny mango slices and a whole lot of ice. So if you order a juice keep an eye on it and ask for more fruit.

I had a stunningly good time on this cruise and would go again in a heart-beat. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer. Also let me know what other NCL ships are as good as the Dawn.

Cheers!

Michelle

On the last day you can get 15 min. of Internet access to print your boarding passes for $8.25 + $3.95 (activation fee). There was a posted $.50 per page printing cost but it did not show up in my bill.

Thanks for the review. Since you just came off of the Dawn, I have a few questions. First, what night was lobster night? Secondly, what night was the optional formal night? Thirdly, was there a CC meeting. If so when and where was it held? I will be on the Thanksgiving cruise. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the review - we leave on the Dawn this Sunday, so it was good to hear from you. I appreciate your taking the time to post about your positive experience - I'm looking forward to doing the same when we return.

I have a question for you about the menus. I've heard that NCL has rolled out new menus throughout the ship. Could you tell us anything about them? I have printed out the menus for all the dinners & specialty restaurants, but I don't know if these have any value at this point. Any tips you can give us regarding the new menus would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Janet

I'm not sure what night was lobster night. My friend had it and I think it may have been the formal night (Mon.) but I am not sure that is the night it was offered since I did not. As mentioned above the formal night was Mon. We had a great CC meeting in the Star bar on Mon. at 10:30. The cruise director and a Sr housekeeping manager (I'm not sure of his title since I missed the intro) came to talk to us. They put out some water, orange juice and coffee but it was unfortunate that they did not have a bar attendant.

I believe they rolled out new menus halfway through the cruise. The only reason I know this is that the attendents mentioned new menus sometimes when we had a question. Since this was my first NCL cruise it is hard for me to offer a comparison. I really enjoyed all my evening meals. I felt the main dining rooms had excellent food. I was not as impressed with Salsa but I did like their Il Poco (or some similar name). I am a fan of the chilled fruit soups and it seemed after the new menues were in place one time they did not have one as an option and I was disappointed. I tended to get the vegetarian option which was very good. My friends tended to get a meat option and really liked theirs. I can say that I felt the selection was excellent. Better than I have had for vegetarian on any other cruise.

Cheers!

Michelle

I just had to respond to your comment about the juice bar at the spa. It reminded me of my experience there. I ordered some kind of "berry blast" smoothie one day and the guy literally put in 2 blueberries, a small piece of banana (and I mean small) and a squirt of orange juice, the rest was all ice. I was laughing to myself because I kept asking him if that was all he was going to put in my $5.00 smoothie (where were all the other berries for this "blast"??) and he had no idea what I was talking about. It took about five tries to get him to understand what I wanted in the first place. He gave me a cup that was only a little more than half full but I just took it, sipped it, smiled and went on my way. I was here to relax after all! Needless to say, that was my first and last trip to the juice bar. LOL! Juice bar patrons beware! :eek:

My friend also said she tried to order stuff from the juice bar but the person working it had no idea what was being sold and couldn't answer any questions. I guess the upside is that I saved alot of money since if it had been good I may have gotten one every day. But I'm like you and don't really like to complain on a cruise. I just want to relax and have a good time so did not say anything. What was laughable was that I could have gone to my room and gotten him some fruit from the bowl to make a good juice, or to the buffet or ordered some from room service.:rolleyes:

Michelle

We were also on this sailing and also had a wonderful time.

We arrived at the pier at 10 AM and we were having lunch in the Venetian by 12:30. We were also directed to the buffet. When I asked this person to direct me the Venetian, she told me it would probably be very crowded (packed was her exact word). We were the first people there and were sat at table number one, right next to the window. We had a good laugh about this. I was very pleased with myself for doing my research. It was a very nice way to start our cruise. Thanks to CC.

We enjoyed most meals. Food tastes are very subjective. Actually our most disappointing meal was at Cagney's. We both ordered the Surf and Turf. The lobster was a joke. In retrospect, we should have said something. All of the staff we experienced (except for the lady running the show on the pier) were very accomadating and I'm sure they would have rectified the situation. The only other specialty restaurant we tried was Salsa. We loved it but found the main restaurants to be more than adequate and the service top notch.

As for the entertainment, our views differ from the original post. This too is subjective and not meant to start a debate. The only show we didn't like was the South Beach Rave. I am sure this show is probably on its way out since Miami is not a stop on this tour anymore. People walked out of this show in droves. The musicians were mostly just props, as I do not think they were actually playing there instruments. I believe most of these same dancers were part of the Bollywood show later in the week. This show is a must see. The Juggler/comedian was very entertaining. The magician was ok. Fountains was a riot. I won't give it away.

In Canaveral we took the shuttle to Cocao Beach. We probably should have done the Kennedy Space Center tour as most who did really enjoyed it. There is not much to see at the beach.

Freeport was really a drag on your own. If you can afford an excursion from the ship, you should probably take it.

Great Stirrup Cay was really nice but a thunderstorm shortened our day. We took the first available tender back to the ship. We were on the top of the tender exposed to the elements. Imagine our surprise when we pulled up next to the Dawn and they started unloading passengers from the bottom level first. I am sure that is how they are trained, but I think someone needs to think outside the box a little.

In Nassau, I would recommend a trip to the Dig at Atlantis at night. The cab ride was 4 bucks and the Dig is free at night. It is beautiful. Shopping or a walking tour are your best bets the next morning before leaving for New York at 11:30 AM. Make note of that time. A woman on our cruise thought we were leaving at 11:30 PM. She was shopping and her husband was still on the ship. She was paged numerous times. Her husband ended up packing all their belongings and watched the ship pull out without them. I would have loved to heard the conversation that ensued upon her return.

All in all a wonderful trip. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

As an aside, were there any Halloween celebrations on this Halloween cruise? :D Costume party, etc?

As an aside, were there any Halloween celebrations on this Halloween cruise? :D Costume party, etc?

There were 2 halloween parties onboard. At 9pm on the pool deck they had a family party. Then there was the costume competition at 11pm in the Spinnaker. Both were very well attended.

All of the public areas on the ship (Casino, lobby and bars) were decorated for Halloween and many of the employees wore costumes as well. It was a LOT of fun, and I'd said again on Halloween in a heartbeat!

Great review micdenver. We were on the Dawn for the 10/15 cruise...and loved every single second.

Thanks for the lovely review and I am so happy you enjoyed your trip.

Regarding the minisuite...did you find it to be significantly different than the standard balcony room? I like to have a bit more room and felt that that would be a better choice for us for an upcoming Panama Canal cruise (which I also booked during our Dawn voyage). Can you share anything in particular that sticks out in your mind regarding differences between the mini and the standard balcony room?

Did you order off of the minisuite room service menu for breakfast? What types of offerings are listed?

And lastly, did you book another cruise on NCL? Where are you going?

Ciao,

W A W W

Hi WAWW,

In my recollection the mini-suite had side tables next to the bed and the balcony did not. This resulted in no space between the bed and the loveseat. The loveseat in the balcony was smaller than the one in the mini-suite. There was a heavy curtain separating the seating area and the bed in the mini but I did not notice this curtain in the balcony. There was more walking room around the bed in the mini. My friend thought the bed in the mini was bigger but I think it may have been an optical illusion. We were going to measure them and compare but forgot. The mini definately had a king size bed. The balcony room had a good sized shower which I prefered to the mini with the tub as it would have been easier to get in and out of. I would think the mini had more storage space but since I did not stay in the balcony I would be hard pressed to detail it. The minis decorating was more classical and less colorful. The storage near the TV and the fridge seemed bigger in the mini but it resulted in the phone being in a very inconvienent place. I think the moveable table to eat on was also bigger in the mini and it had two chairs. I think it only had one in the balcony. However to use this table you have to pull it out of where it is in the mini. Good luck deciding! I was in the room by myself and I think a balcony is sufficient for that but I really enjoyed the space and could see how it would have been good to have if with 2. A mini is worth a little extra $s if you use the room alot and I like to have the extra space.

I did order off the room service menu for breakfast but it did not have any additional offerings over the other rooms. I tried writing in my order as was suggested on the board and it resulted in them telling me when they dropped of juice and fruit that they didn't deliver anything beyond continental.

I did not book my next cruise yet. I just put the deposit down so I could get the $100 on-board credit.

Cheers!

Michelle

micdenver ~

Great, detailed review:)

Aaaah, I'm missing the Dawn:(

Jewel is as good as the Dawn. Layout of the lounges is quite different and no Masters originals in Le Bistro but a great ship.

No Impressions...sorry, one of our favorites also.

Good Luck with your decision:)

Thanks so much for taking the time to write the review and then answer questions. We're sailing on the Dawn Dec. 17th on the 11 day. This board is so helpful and review is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Cosmopolitan for the recommendation of the Jewel. I've been reading other's reviews and was starting to think that might be a good choice for me. Did you happen to notice if it had an indoor pool and spa area similar to the Dawn?

The Jewel's 15 day spring transatlantic is looking good to me. I really want to do the Baltic capitals but the reviews of the Dream are not so good. I'm also eyeing the Canada/New England on the Dawn in the fall.

WAWW, I also have the Panama Canal on my list of watches for a good fare. Have you been on the Pearl before (thats what is showing sailing the Panama Canal in '07)? How would you compare it to the Dawn?

Cheers!

Michelle

WAWW, I also have the Panama Canal on my list of watches for a good fare. Have you been on the Pearl before (thats what is showing sailing the Panama Canal in '07)? How would you compare it to the Dawn?

 

Cheers!

Michelle

Thanks for the info on the minisuite - reinforces that we made the right decision. The Pearl will be making her maiden voyage in December so I can't compare her to the Dawn. I loved the Dawn, so much so that we felt very comfortable make our reservations for the Canal cruise. And there's a roll call going already too!!! Ok..there's only 4 of us that have posted, but it's still early.

The Pearl's first venture through the canal will be in April, as she repositions from Miami to the West coast for her summer Alaska trips. Our cruise in September will be bringing her back to her homebase.

Hope this helps!

Ciao,

W A W W

WAWW,

LOL, thanks! It just goes to show you I have some research to do on the NCL ships. I did notice that the Star has the indoor lap pool that I so enjoyed on the Dawn. I will have to look and see what other ships do. It seems that the Jewel does not.

Cheers!

Michelle

I was on that cruise too. What fun! First time on NCL and I loved it. Freestyle dining is definitely for me. Even if I didn't win a prize for my costume

(I was the Tiki Drink). I highly recommend the bicycle tour in Freeport. My pictures for the cruise are here if anyone wants to peek.

http://silvergryphyn.com/photos/2006_10_Cruise_Bahamas/index.html

Sarah I loved your pictures!

<sigh> How I wish we were going back again this coming weekend!!

I was on that cruise too. What fun! First time on NCL and I loved it. Freestyle dining is definitely for me. Even if I didn't win a prize for my costume

(I was the Tiki Drink). I highly recommend the bicycle tour in Freeport. My pictures for the cruise are here if anyone wants to peek.

 

http://silvergryphyn.com/photos/2006_10_Cruise_Bahamas/index.html

Great pics, especially of everyone at the margarita tasting. That was a fun time!

And I'm still mad that I missed it!!

I'm really impressed you went on the bicycle ride in Freeport. It was so hot I couldn't even shop. I had to go to the beach and get in the water. :D

Michelle

It was really hot on the bike ride. I actually didn't do the last 2 miles or so (it went beyond and back to the ending restaraunt). Incipient heat stroke. I thought I'd stop while I was still having fun. :) And the banana bread was to die for. That alone was worth the ride. And the people we went by were so friendly.