Dawn review 8/29/04

Ok, the laundry is done, the kids are in school and I've been able to put my thoughts together. Overall this was a great family trip. There were many families and the kids were everywhere!

Sunday: We took the bus from Boston. This was so easy it was making me nervous. I felt like I must be doing something wrong it was just too easy. They picked us up at South Station and as soon as everyone was there we left to pick up a few more passengers in Hartford. We arrived at the pier at 12:45 and as we were traveling with my handicapped mother we were assisted onto the ship and in our cabins at 1:10.

We explored the ship for a little while, went for a swim, then sat in the forward hot tub as we passed the Statue of Liberty and went under the bridge.

Went to Venetian for prime rib dinner(my favorite) and went to the Welcome Aboard show. The show itself was boring but it gave me an opportunity to get to know the cruise director and his staff. He was awsome!

Monday we were at sea and everyone was keeping an eye on the storm. I got up early and claimed my spot by the pool were I spent most of the day. Went to Impressions for lobster dinner. The resteraunt was beautiful but I have much better lobster at home. The filet was very good though.

Tuesday went to Universal Islands of Adventure. I went with my 11yo, 14yo brother and 15yo while my dh took dd to Cocoa Beach. It was a fun but tiring day. Went to Aqua and had a nice dinnner.

Wednesday went to South Beach for the day. It was dd birthday (she turned 8) but everyone was more concerned about the storm and where we were going to go. Went to Aqua for dinner again(dd choice) and everyone sang Happy Birthday. They gave her a cake that was excellent. Went to the show which was ok then went to bed.

Thursday by now we knew we weren't going to Nassau or the private island and instead docked in Freeport. This port made our local shipyard look like a tropical paradise. We got off the ship to do some shopping. The taxi took us to the only shopping area that was still open. When we got there the local people were boarding up, everthing was off the shelves and basically there was nothing to buy. But the local people were very friendly inspite of the scary situation they were in. I don't think we got an accurate picture of what Freeport is really like. We left Freeport bcause they were closing the port and spent Friday and Saturday at sea. We did have one night of extremely rough seas. Our cabin steward threw up four times but we didn't get sick. But the weather during the day was partly sunny and warm. I found the sea days to be very relaxing.

Sunday disembarking the ship was a breeze. It looked worse that it was. It took about 15 minutes to get all 9 of us (including the wheelchair) off the ship.

Overall this was an awsome cruise. The food was good, service excellent, entertainment was interesting. The only problem I could find was a FEW of the passengers were not very polite at times. MOST were friendly happy people, but there were some that would not move so my mother could get by in her wheelchair, were rude to the waitress in Blue Lagoon because they thought she was taking too long.

I would definatly recommend this ship to families but be warned! Even if you like kids and don't mind being around them, the kids are EVERYWHERE! Alot of them too! But for the most part they were well behaved and having the time of their lives. There was also way to many Yankees fans on this ship. The good news was the Red Sox gained on them while we were away. But still I can't wait to do this ship again!

One more slight glitch, we bought 6 bottles of booze from the gift shop. They hold the liquor for you and give it to you as you disembark the ship. When we got home we realized we only had 4 bottles in the box. So check carefully to make sure you have the right stuff and the right amount.

Sounds like you had a good time in spite of having to change ports. What did your kids do during sea days? Did they participate in the kid's activities or did they prefer to stay with you? What movies were playing?

My kids stayed with me. DD wouldn't go without me and ds had plenty to do to keep occupied. There were plenty of activitied planned throughout the day and Colin the CD was everywhere keeping everyone entertained. IMHO, the sea days were my favorite. As to the movies I forget, never saw one, was way too busy.

Good review. Do you remember any of the musicians who performed in the atrium and the various lounges?

Good review.What type of room did you have?

smellytoes,

thanks for the review.

we will be sailing on ncl for the first time in february. we would like to take the excursion to Universal Islands of Adventure. any tips about this trip. we are a family of 4 two boys ages 15 &13.

did you try any of the specialty restaurants? was it hard to get reservations?

thanks in advance.

-andy

Dolpins: don't remember names in lounges or atrium but one piano player started playing "Titanic" as we were trying to out run a hurricane. He was very good but that kind of freaked me out.

Dorothyl: I had a BA cabin #10730. It was right off the back of the ship. I highly recommend this type of cabin.

Newcruiser99: The Islands of Adventure express pass saved us. There were 90 minute waits for the popular attractions and several times the rides were closed for 20-30 minutes because thunder was in the area. It is park policy to shut down some rides if thunder is within a 5 mile radius.

we didn't try any specialty restaurants or reservation only ones. The food in the main dining rooms was excellent.

Hi Smellytoes, Thanks for the review. I wanted to ask you a question about formal night. Did most people or at least 1/2 the people on board wear gowns and suits? I do not want to look out of place and be the only one wearing a gown. I posted this question before but no response. So if you can please answer this I would really apreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Sue

I was on the Dawn in July and I did wear a gown on the formal night, I like to dress up when I get a chance, I didnt feel out of place at all, my husband wore a suit and tie, and so did the others in our party, there were 10 of us. There were other woman with gowns on also, so dont feet out of place, have a great time, the trip was so wonderful, and filled with so many memories.

Enjoy Joann

There was about 50% long gowns and suits. There was an occasional tux. The great part was nobody cared what you were wearing and I enjoyed watching the dressed up people.

Hi smellytoes, thanks for the good review. I was wondering if you got a chance to see the handicapped balcony cabins which were down the hall from you? Im booked in 10700 and would like to know if you took a peek. Also, about the soda program, do you still get those little sprite stickers on your sail & sign cards and are they still giving out those really cool coke type containers when you sign up? Back in May '03 we received these.

Thanks for the review. My husband will be using a wheelchair on our trip on 9-19. How difficult was it to get around the ship. Did your Mom get off at the ports?

Mom didn't get off the ship in any ports. Travel around the ship itself was very difficult. She was unable to access the outdoor areas without assistance. She had a hard time with other passengers who were oblivious to her and refused to move out of her way. She had a handicapped accessible inside cabin and it was a very nice size. I didn't get a chance to see a balcony one.

You still get coke stickers on your card and they give you the coke bottle.

How did Mom do if someone pushed her in the wheelchair?

Can you tell me which bus you took from Boston? We are taking the Dawn Oct 31st and had planned to drive to NYC and pay to park the car at the terminal. But you made it sound like the bus was very easy.

Thanks, Bobbi

We took the NCL bus. NCL has a bus program from several different cities. We booked directly through the cruiseline. It was 50$ round trip pp. It was incredibly easy

Thanks Smelly toes! Thanks to your post i found the bus schedule on NCL web site!

That will be so much easier than driving down there!

Bobbi

Bobbi

We are on the Dawn 11/28, and due to our location, we're taking the bus from Providence, RI. It will take us just about as long to get there as to Boston, and if the weather reports are not good, we can always drive down the night before and stay in a hotel!;)

Enjoy your cruise! Looking forward to your review!

What time did the bus leave to go home on Sunday?

Sorry I couldn't answer your question sooner. My computer was broken. The bus left as soon as everyone scheduled to be on the bus disembarked the ship. The ride home was painless also. Depressing, but painless.

Smellytoes,

Does the NCL bus from Boston show movies?

Thanks, Bobbi