Jump to content

How is it that our 6/8 sailing of the Dawn was better than the last?


2Cruise4Ever

Recommended Posts

PART I – THE GENERAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE

 

I don’t know how, but each time we sail on the Dawn, it gets better and better. This year was no exception. Me, DH, DS (10), DD (5), and my parents drove up to NYC the day before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Midtown (again). Wonderful hotel and extremely convenient to the port. We ate at Rolf’s restaurant in Gramercy Park for dinner. Fabulous food, but very hot indoors.

 

OK, on to the good stuff!!!

 

Embarkation: Could not have been easier. We left the hotel at 10:15 a.m. Thanks to the directions of a friend, we were at the terminal in 5 minutes. NCL offered “early-bird” check-in where we took care of the usual paperwork. Unfortunately, our key cards were not ready, yet. But, no worries. We received them later, just before we boarded. Then, it was upstairs to the VIP waiting area for coffee, tea, juice, and various continental goodies (very nice touch). We enjoyed some nice conversation with Logcabin (Hi, Scott!!) and Watchdiva (Hi, Lin!!!). After a very short wait, we were called to board. A quick check through immigration and the obligatory embarkation photo, and turned the corner…. Gasp!!! Imagine The Space Odyssey theme song playing as I rounded the corner in slow motion. There she was!! My favorite ship, going to my favorite destination: The Dawn to Bermuda!

 

As in the past, we were greeted by smiling faces and warm wishes for a wonderful cruise. But, this time, it was a little different: a glass of bubbly and a personal escort to our cabin, AB Penthouse Suite #11510. That’s when I realized that aside from the wedding and tour groups, we were amongst the first ones on board. No words can describe the feeling that washed over me as I encountered service that I imagine only royalty experiences. A very nice surprise awaited us: our cabin was ready! Really????? At 11:45 a.m.???? How is that possible? I found out later, why.

 

Cabin: Our third time on the Dawn, our third time in an AB (Suite 11510; the Ruby Suite). All of the AB’s are the same, just mirror images of each other depending on whether you’re Port or Starboard: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living area, dining area, balcony, and yes 4 televisions (2 with DVD players built in)!!!! Fridge, coffee maker, Jacuzzi tub, immense master bathroom, and storage, storage, storage! OK, let’s see, I thought. How much of 2.0 has been implemented? Champagne and personal escort upon embarkation – check; upgraded bedding and pillow menu – check; daily goodies menu – check; daily fruit bowl menu – check; upgraded champagne in the suite – check; Will we receive cookies before we disembark? We’ll see….

 

Our cabin stewards were Luis and Carolyn. They were absolutely fantastic!!! More details on how Luis saved the day later….

 

Food: We ate in Teppanyaki, Venetian, Cagney’s, Garden Café, Blue Lagoon, Room Service, and Impressions Italian (twice). All the food was excellent (lobster tail Monday night in Venetian, whole Maine lobster in Cagney’s, lobster ravioli in Impressions both times). Room service for breakfast (yes, we ordered from Cagney’s twice – wonderful crab cakes Benedict!) all but one day: Cagney’s for breakfast on last morning. Can you tell I like lobster??? Food is so subjective. And, I’ll eat just about anything. So, if you have any specific questions, please ask away. I loved every meal and pretty much ate my way from one end of the ship to the other! Oh, and the chocolate lovers buffet was Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. in the Garden Caféand was absolutely fabulous.

 

Bermuda: Wednesday we took the bus to 9 Beaches, thanks to the recommendation of Tamika who sold us our 3 day bus pass. 9 Beaches was absolutely perfect. It was the closest thing to Great Stirrup Cay that we have ever found: chairs and umbrellas for no charge, drinks and food at Hammer Heads Bar N Grill right on the beach. The water was shallow for yards and yards with gentle lapping waves: perfect for our children. Wednesday evening we went to the Harbor Nights Festival in Hamilton. Other than the Gombey Troop Dancers, it wasn’t that much to write home about: street vendors selling the usual touristy trinkets, and some local food, but not much; the hot dogs were good, but expensive. The Gombey Troops were incredible!!! About a dozen or so danced with 4 or 5 drummers down Front Street and back for about 45 minutes. I don’t know how they keep up that stamina, but it was quite a sight to see. I highly recommend going just for that!

 

Thursday we took the Hartley’s Helmet Dive excursion (on our own, not with the Cruise Line). Now, THAT was awesome!!! We had experienced the helmet dive in St. Thomas. But, Hartley’s blew that one completely away!!! We were 8-10 feet down with fish swimming all around us. This is the perfect way to dive for those of us who are completely blind without our contact lenses or glasses. The price was $75.00 per person. And, we were under for about 30 minutes.

 

Friday we shopped around the Clock Tower Mall. Very nice selection of stores. And, then we spent the afternoon in Snorkel Park. Chairs, umbrellas, wave runners, other water sport equipment all for rent. 2 chairs and an umbrella was $25 for the day. And, to our kids’ delight, a huge water slide: $2 per ride, or $25 for an all-day pass. They also have a bar and grille with slightly higher prices than 9 Beaches. But, very clean and only a short walk from the ship (about 10 minutes). We wouldn’t hesitate to go back there again.

 

Disembarkation: a complete breeze! We decided to eat breakfast in Cagney’s and disembark a little later. Since we were driving, we were in no rush. I highly recommend doing this!!! Breakfast was leisurely and absolutely delicious. We walked off the ship around 9:45 a.m. with no line and were escorted to our luggage by our wonderful Concierge, Anca. She is a true gem. Together with the amazing butler, Armando, our cruise couldn’t have been better! They both deserve immense praise. And, thank you to Hugo, for rushing down the gangway to see us off. What a nice touch to end our vacation.

 

Oh, and, yes, we received a plate of chocolate chip cookies on Friday!

 

A couple of minor inconveniences, but nothing to sweat about: the TV remote in the bedroom wasn’t working (maintenance replaced it), a light was out in the living area (maintenance replaced it), and service was a bit slow in Venetian. The kids wanted to go see the magic show with the Kids Crew. So, we had to skip dessert on “Dress Up if You Want to” night. Again, no big deal.

 

Part II to follow…..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PART II: SPECIAL EXPERIENCES:

 

Cruise Critic M & G: What an awesome group!!! It was great to put faces to names and names to screen names. Thank you all for attending. And, your participation in the gift exchange made it a true success! Sean, Shawn, Scott, Lin, Dennis, Kim, Nick, Nicole, James and all, it was great running into you guys around the ship and in Bermuda. We found out at the party why our cabin was ready so early. Logcabin (Scott) had arranged for a tour of the ship with several of his clients. And, well, our cabin happened to be on the tour list. So, it was ready early. Thanks, Scott!

 

Captain’s VIP Party: It was great to spend some time with all the ship’s officers. The Captain even stayed for a while. Hugo, the best Hotel Director on the planet, Alain, awesome Food & Beverage Director, Steffan, incredible Staff Captain, and Pedro, Cruise Director Extraordinaire were all very gracious and entertaining.

 

 

Dinner with the officers: Each week, the officers dine with selected guests on Thursday evening. Go to the main desk and ask for your name to be put into the drawing. Surprise! We, along with Logcabin and his DW (Lynn), were selected to have dinner with Hugo. This was probably one of the biggest highlights of the cruise for us. It was truly an honor. And, our table was surrounded by 9 others with passengers and officers. Thank you, Hugo, for being such a wonderful host. The food and the wine were excellent!

 

The people who made our cruise extra special: Hugo, thank you so much for checking in with us throughout the week. It wasn’t necessary, but very much appreciated. Armando, the amazing butler, paid attention to every little single detail. For instance, our DD still takes naps in the afternoon. Armando made sure that Luis kept the sofa bed out and made up for her in the second bedroom. Also, twice after coming back from the beach, sandwiches awaited our arrival (yummy!!!). Additionally, on Friday, gummy bears magically appeared on our dining table. Needless to say, he earned a very good tip. I wish we could have given him more! And, Ravi, our butler from last year, stopped by to say hello (and, again at dinner the last night). How nice that he remembered us. Ravi, congratulations on your marriage!

 

Anca is one of the best concierges I’ve ever met. And, she works harder than any woman I’ve ever seen. She was visible without being obtrusive. She helped out when she could (got me into the salon for a quick nail fix when they were booked). And, she pointed us in the right direction when we weren’t sure what to do. Anca, you are a true asset to the company. I thoroughly enjoyed our chats about travel.

 

OK, I’ve saved the best for last. Luis, our room steward (with help from Carolyn) saved the day from what could have potentially been a very disappointing cruise for our 10 yo DS. Anyone who has kids this age will know that nothing comes between a child and his or her Game Boy! Well, guess what? On Friday morning, it did. I was sure it was still in the cabin so I didn’t begin to worry until it still didn’t show up anywhere by Saturday morning. No, it wasn’t in the Kids Crew. My Mom saw him put it away before she took him up there Thursday evening. OK, now we knew he wasn’t lying. Grammie saved the boy from being accused! We asked if our room stewards had seen it. Nope. The next thing we knew, the phone was ringing, the doorbell was sounding, and everyone was in a tither. 3 security crew members showed up at the door, asking permission to search the room for the Game Boy (even after we had completely tossed the place looking for it). Boy, they sure take missing items seriously. We hadn’t even filed any kind of report (and hadn’t intended to)! They didn’t find it either. Our conclusion? The boy walked in his sleep and put it in the trash. It’s the only explanation we could come up with. About 2 hours later, Luis stopped by. He had an idea. “Has anyone pulled the bed away from the wall?” I didn’t know it could be pulled away from the wall. So, we took the mattress out into the hallway (again). Luis pulled the bed away and Ta Da!!!! The Game Boy fell to the floor!!! Luis, you are our hero. It was stuck between the bed and the wall.

 

This is one cruise we will never forget. The Kids Crew counselors were amazing. Every crew member we encountered asked if there was anything we needed or wanted. The hospitality staff deserves awards. And, the ship is pristine. You’d never know that she wasn’t brand new and how many passengers she’s carried over the years.

 

We continue to be die-hard NCL cheerleaders. And, can’t wait to book another NCL cruise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We were in AB suite 11010 on June 1 on the Dawn. We didn't get some of the VIP luxery you recieved. No cookies, no VIP waiting room, cabin was not cleaned until 2:00. No room service menu for Cagney breakfast.

 

We did have a wonderful time though. Our butler Jeffrey was a disappointment but oh well. Hard to get our daily snacks, hard to order room service so we just made it like there was no butler. It worked but would have loved getting all that we paid for.

 

Next time I will be sure to alert Anca right away (we didn't want to be complainers so we said nothing, in fact we tipped Jeffrey very well).

 

We did love the bathroom, the bedding, the balcony and the extra room. All in all, it was a great cruise and we would do it again. Have to save some money first, once you go suite, you can never go back. I have heard that over and over again and I think it's true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

once you go suite, you can never go back. I have heard that over and over again and I think it's true.

 

Ain't THAT the truth!!! We were originally upsold from an AF to an AB on our first trip on the Dawn. We'll never do anything else!

 

I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't experience some of the same things we did. That can be very disappointing when you hear about such good service and then don't receive it.

 

But, like I've always said, my worst day on a cruise is better than my best day at work! I really hope you have a better experience next time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Jim, I remember corresponding with you last year. I enjoyed your review, as well. When are you sailing again?

 

We are sailing on the Carnival Miracle in August. We are in a suite but it will not be as nice as the AB.

 

We will be back on NCL, on the Spirit, Boston to Bermuda in August 2009. The suites on the Spirit will not accomodate a family of 4 so we are booked into adjoining/connecting balcony cabins. We do likethe Spirit and leaving out of Bsoton is a big plus for us!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review.. 9 beaches sounds great. How far is that from Kings Wharf? Do you have to pay to enter? Thanks

 

No, you can just walk right on. Take the #7 bus. It's about a 10 minute ride. And, then, about a 15 minute walk from where the bus leaves off. I took a few pictures of the beach. I plan to upload them all tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First off, as I said in the Nine Beaches topic, GREAT review, very informative and well written. Thank you so much!

 

Secondly, your Game Boy experience reminded me of my own near-loss of casino winnings. I thought perhaps I had left my three tickets at the casino, but my husband swore he saw me place them on the table, next to the balcony, as we hurried off to leave the ship for our first Bermuda outing. His memory is better than mine, so I conceded he must be right.

 

We returned later that day, too exhausted to do anything but take a nap. Later, I remembered my casino tickets and thought I best put them in the safe. But, they were not where my husband said I put them. I checked the drawers, the safe, the closet, under the bed - in short I looked everywhere, and could not find them. Being a balcony cabin, there weren't too many places to look.

 

We thought to ask the steward, but I was so afraid that would sound like an accusation, so we didn't. When the casino reopened, I thought to ask there if anyone found them and perhaps turned them in. No one did. I just about gave up and thought, well, I would have spent them anyway and probably lost it all.

 

Then on Saturday, I looked at the sofa next to the balcony door. I thought, hmmm, maybe? I pulled it out and apart - and there were my three tickets. They must have blown over to the sofa when the balcony door was opened and went through the crack in the sofa bed.

 

Then you know what I did, dum dum that I am - went to the casino - and lost it all! But I had fun doing it. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
PART I – THE GENERAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE

 

I don’t know how, but each time we sail on the Dawn, it gets better and better. …..

 

 

Excellent review! Thanks again for organizing the Meet and Greet, and for all the fantastic information you provided.

 

We had a GREAT TIME on the Dawn. And, in the spirit of "better late than never" here's my (EXTREMELY LONG) review of our 6/08/08 sailing:

 

ARRIVAL/EMBARKATION:

We (me, DW, DS (15), and DS (9) drove up from Delaware on Sunday morning. I had originally planned to leave around 7:30 a.m. for the two and a half hour drive, but we didn't get on the road until after 9 a.m. No worries though, traffic was minimal and we made great time. I had printed directions from Expedia and MapQuest. Both had us coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel and turning on to 42nd Street, then making a right on 12th Avenue (which parallels the port area). That was the ONLY place we hit traffic. In hindsight, I would have come directly down 55th Street and saved about 45 minutes.

 

Once we got to the pier, DW dropped us and the bags off, and went on to the self-park. It's expensive ($30 / day or $210 for our Sunday to Sunday stay), but it's very convenient and secure. When we got to our cabin and stepped out on our balcony, the car was right below our view!

 

The embarkation line was long, but it moved pretty quickly. We were staying in two connecting BB (balcony) cabins, deck nine, port side, aft. Checking in was painless and quick (even WITHOUT passports), the we posed for the embarkation photo, and headed up the gangway.

 

We were greeted by the warm, smiling faces of the crew, who offered us a choice of champagne or orange juice. We did not get an escort to our cabins (maybe we had to ask for one?) but we found it very easily.

 

CABINS:

Having sailed on only one cruise before (the MS Seaward on our honeymoon) my wife and I were pleased by the size of our cabins. The floor to ceiling glass doors of the balconies really gave the cabins an "open" feeling. And having connecting cabins so that our sons could have their own room worked out great. The bathrooms, with sliding doors separating the shower, toilet, and sink into three parts, were particularly impressive (for a ship, anyway).

 

I had ordered the "romance/honeymoon" package, so a full-sized bottle of champaign (warm, unfortunately) was waiting for us. Soon after, four large chocolate-covered strawberries followed.

 

The cabins were very clean, fridge was stocked with soda, beer, and alcohol, there was plenty of storage, and the amenities (bedding, safe, TV, etc.) were all very nice.

 

BON VOYAGE:

I had read on some forums that one "trick" upon embarkation was to head to the Venetian (one of the two main dining rooms) rather than the more crowded, buffet-style Garden Cafe for lunch. We tried, but alas, by the time we got there, they were not seating for lunch. So we did head over to the Garden Cafe, which was quite crowded. We were able to secure a table for four after a short search, and we found the buffet offerings very good.

 

We headed back to our cabins to change for the pool, and met our cabin stewards, Marlon and Jonathan. They were very friendly, energetic young guys who remembered our names from day one. The one 2.0 amenity that I felt was missing was the robes that Norwegian promises. I mentioned this to Marlon and Jonathan, and they were able to get robes for my wife and I (but not for our sons) the next day.

 

The pool area is crowded on sea days (which you have to expect), but if you don't mind being away from the pool, there are usually groups of lounge chairs available toward the bow. The poolside barbecue was very popular, as was the ice cream.

 

The poolside band was quite good, and I really liked the fact that there weren't any noisy "poolside games" going on. If you wanted a drink, you just had to raise the drink flag attached to your lounge chair. Service was pretty good, although my teenage son sometimes had to wait a long time for his "free" sodas (we bought the "soda stamp"). If was quicker for him to simply make a run to the bar area.

 

Sailing out of New York, past the tall buildings of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island was a very cool experience.

 

FOOD/DINNING:

I thought the food overall was very good to excellent. We usually ate in the Venetian (one of the two "free" main dinning rooms), but we also had meals in the Garden Cafe (the buffet), Blue Lagoon (free, "dinner-style?"), Aqua (the other "free" main dinning room), room service, Bimini Grill (poolside lunch), and Le Bistro (DW and I, as part of the romance package).

 

While the service in the Venetian was usually quite good, there were a few times when I would call it "leisurely paced." However, I wouldn't call it "slow." After all, you should take your time to enjoy a good meal.

There was always a nice selection of entrées. I really enjoyed the Mahi Mahi, Lobster, and Prime Rib selections (all in the Venetian). The Fillet in Le Bistro was EXCELLENT, as was the service and atmosphere. I can understand why some choose to pay extra to dine at the specialty restaurants, but frankly, our dinners in the Venetian and Aqua were nearly as good. Next time, I will try Cagney's, as I heard nothing but great things about it.

 

My sons aren't the most adventurous eaters, but they ALWAYS had a selection of items to choose from. The desserts were wonderful, and it was nice to know you didn't have to settle for just one!

 

For the most part, people dressed appropriately for dinner, but there were a few times that I saw grown men in shorts or tee shirts. I'm not a stickler for formality, but I think if you go to the main dinning room, you should put on long pants and a polo shirt.

 

Also, I know some folks love to complain, but I overheard a few people who had me scratching my head. For example, one guy was unhappy because his toast at breakfast that morning wasn't hot. Since toast stays warm for about one minute, maybe he should sit closer to the galley! Another person in front of me in the buffet line at the Garden Cafe was frustrated with the "sneeze shield" that she had to reach under to get her food. Well, I was VERY HAPPY that shield was there, and if it took an extra 10 seconds to get my food, well, so be it!

 

By the way, there are hand sanitizers all over the ship, especially in the entrances and exits for the food areas.

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

I thought the shows and performers were excellent. The Stardust Theater is really impressive. We were able to see nearly all the shows. We did get shut out of the "Bon Voyage" show on the first night, because we had a late dinner. There were usually two show times each night, but the first night there's only one, so if you want to see it, get there early.

 

"Band on the Run," "Bollywood," the magic show, and the comedy of Second City were all excellent. The shows were usually about 50 minutes long, which was just about right.

 

My nine-year-old even participated on stage with Second City as part of their "unscripted" show (my wife and I were having dinner in Le Bistro, so I hope he was funny).

 

There was plenty to do on board, any time of day or night. ping pong, basketball, chess, movies, games, bingo, etc.

 

Beware if you're a big television watcher. Usually only 4 or 5 (sometimes as few as 2) stations were available (not counting the 24-7 "safety procedures" station, or the view of the bow of the ship!). The most difficult part for me was no baseball for the week (GO PHILLIES!)

 

I had fun in the casino - and even came out a bit ahead!

 

The seminars were interesting and entertaining.

 

And thank you, Liza, for recommending the "martini clinic." At $15 it was well worth it! Our host treated us to an entertaining and informative presentation on the history and terminology of the martini, and made us SIX - count 'em SIX - premium martini "samples" over the course of 75 minutes.

 

BERMUDA

Beautiful place! Very clean. Very scenic. I had been worried that the air and ocean temperatures wouldn't reach "beach weather" by mid-June, but it couldn't have been better! In fact, while the "official" forecast might have listed temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s, it felt like mid-to-high 80s to me! Ditto for the ocean temperature. While not tropical, the ocean felt warm (think Atlantic City in August) to me.

 

Having never been to Bermuda before, we booked two excursions through NCL - the Horseshoe Bay Beach Getaway and the Bermuda Snuba Experience. While it's true that the bus and ferry passes allow you to do the same things at less cost, I don't regret booking through NCL.

 

We actually took the public transportation our first day in Bermuda. There were a lot of stops on the public bus, and it got VERY crowded. On the NCL excursion, we had direct transportation, a sight-seeing guide, and no crowded bus. Either way, you got to see a lot of Bermuda.

 

Horseshoe Bay Beach is a must see for any beach lover. The one downside to the NCL excursion was that we only got to spend two hours at the beach. I would have liked more time there, especially since it was such a beautiful day. Our bus tour also stopped at a church built in 1600 and a lighthouse (sorry, I don't have the names handy).

 

The Snuba Experience was fantastic. We took a water taxi to the 9 Beaches Resort, where we received instruction, donned wetsuits, and got to explore the undersea world. Anyone 8 or older can do it, and it's a lot of fun.

 

We checked out the Crystal Caves on our own. For me, it seemed a bit pricey, but it was certainly a unique experience. Not something I'd do again, however.

 

We didn't sample any local food (unless you count my Dark and Stormy at Nine Beaches, and my Rum Swizzle at the Frog and Onion).

 

ODDS AND ENDS:

Overall, nearly perfect trip.

 

*We had very smooth seas both down and back.

 

*We were chosen to dine with Pedro, the Cruise Director one night, and he was an interesting, gracious host. Best wishes on your marriage!

 

*The hot stone massage in the spa was expensive, but was also one of the best I've ever had. I didn't like the "hard sell" of spa products that followed, however.

 

*According to Pedro, our sailing was sold out, but the ship was not at capacity. In other words, all cabins were being used, but some of those that could hold 3 or 4 were only holding 2. Ship seemed full, but not crowded.

 

*Staff was very friendly and helpful.

 

*If you see a photo in the gallery that you might want, don't wait to buy it until the end of the cruise. By then, you'll have to sift through stacks and stacks of unsold photos. I have to believe that the digital age will soon make it possible to access and purchase photos on line AFTER the vacation (a la Disneyworld).

 

*We did NOT get cookies delivered to our cabin on the final night.

 

*I'm sure the Chocolate Buffet is great, but I didn't feel like waiting in line for an hour to find out. The food and deserts were wonderful the entire cruise, and that was enough for me.

 

*Three days in Bermuda was very nice. Four would have been even better. Maybe NCL will consider a Tuesday afternoon arrival?

 

Again, sorry for the LONG review. If anyone has specific questions, I'm happy to offer my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) can't wait for part 2!!! How was the entertaiment and was the Venician open for the first lunch??? thanks

 

Didn't go to any shows so can't comment there. Although our kids went to Bollywood and the Magic Show and loved them both. LocalTracks had some good things to say about the entertainment.

 

Part II is right after Part I in my review.

 

Yes, the Venetian was open for lunch on embarkation day. But, as LocalTracks said, get there early.

 

Overall, it was wonderful. We're looking into a Back 2 Back on the Dawn next year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...