REVIEW - On the Dawn for Spring Break, family trip with young kids

We sailed on the Dawn the week March 4 - 12. We had the same problem off loading our luggage, parking and getting through the terminal. Getting off, our porter took the luggage to the car. That was a breeze. We also agree the ship looks great. We had UDP and Dinning. Food was very good. I found if you tip the bar staff a little extra you can get the top shelf stuff. Overall we had a great time.

We did self debarkation since we needed to get on the road home early so we schlepped our bags ourselves, but I agree - getting off was so much smoother than getting on! That part only took us about 20 minutes.

Good tip about the drinks! Though I wasn't really missing anything with the UBP - the pre-made drinks seemed weak but if you asked them to make anything else, we only experienced very strong pours. I had to ask for more coke in one rum and coke I ordered. :o

Bar tips -

Since we're on the topic of drinks, a few more bar tips we discovered...

We had a TON of college spring breakers on this cruise. Way more than on our last Carnival spring break cruise. Obviously because of NCLs promotion with the free UBP. The cranky old lady in me wishes NCL would limit that promo to those over 25. But for the most part they were well behaved and didn't affect us....except when it came to lines at the bar. :rolleyes:

The Bliss bar is open early most days and there was hardly anyone there during the day - just people playing bingo. Much easier to grab a drink there on the way to wherever we were going. Also, the younger crowd mostly avoided Gatsby's so we'd head there for drinks as well.

Lastly, you can get drinks at any of the specialty restaurant bars even if you aren't eating there. And some have specialty drinks only available there. We had plans to try and hit each one once, but we really liked the bartender Benny at Los Lobos so we mostly went there. And it's just down the stairs from the kids club - double bonus. Get the Luna Margarita, you won't regret it! ;)

Cabin -

We had a sideways inside cabin, 12039 and we really enjoyed it! It definitely felt more spacious to me with the door in the middle. My oldest loved the pull down bunk. Our little guy would likely roll off so he just slept with us. It was very quiet in this area and I love being close to the pool and Garden Cafe.

 

The new decor is very nice and the layout of the bathroom works great. I loved the shower, great pressure, always hot and the hand-held shower head was great for my three year old.

 

 

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I recognize you from our trip as I was admiring your little ones hair! Can't wait to read your review and chime in as well - hope you don't mind. :).

I recognize you from our trip as I was admiring your little ones hair! Can't wait to read your review and chime in as well - hope you don't mind. :).

Ha, that hair of his is a spectacle wherever we go. :') I don't mind at all, I would love to hear your experience as well!

Bar tips -

 

Since we're on the topic of drinks, a few more bar tips we discovered...

 

We had a TON of college spring breakers on this cruise. Way more than on our last Carnival spring break cruise. Obviously because of NCLs promotion with the free UBP. The cranky old lady in me wishes NCL would limit that promo to those over 25. But for the most part they were well behaved and didn't affect us....except when it came to lines at the bar. :rolleyes:

 

The Bliss bar is open early most days and there was hardly anyone there during the day - just people playing bingo. Much easier to grab a drink there on the way to wherever we were going. Also, the younger crowd mostly avoided Gatsby's so we'd head there for drinks as well.

 

Lastly, you can get drinks at any of the specialty restaurant bars even if you aren't eating there. And some have specialty drinks only available there. We had plans to try and hit each one once, but we really liked the bartender Benny at Los Lobos so we mostly went there. And it's just down the stairs from the kids club - double bonus. Get the Luna Margarita, you won't regret it! ;)

Great suggestion about over 25 only being able to purchase the drink package. This part of our review shouldn't affect any others cruising as they won't be on spring break - but here is my group's take on it. First time cruisers, unfortunately, we could only do SB. I chose Norwegian trying to avoid most of the college crowd - but didn't think about the UBP luring them from Carnival to Norwegian. So, with that being said - there was throw up in the hallway that I witnessed, college kids who were wasted the entire 7 days (hey, I guess it is their vacation) but here's what I wish - I wish that when they were so drunk that they couldn't stand that the bars would actually cut them off until they got more sober. I realize they weren't driving, etc but the spilled drinks, the yelling all the time, etc kept me in my cabin most of the time on board. Luckily I had a balcony and so that was great, I spent hours and hours in peace there. I actually spent 10 minutes on the deck of the ship the entire time I was on the ship. I feel for those who had small kids who wanted to enjoy being out there for the pool, etc.

Harvest Caye for us: I was really not looking forward to this one - almost felt held captive since it was their private island. Changed my mind as soon as we got there!!! LOVED IT. I agree, everything is shiny and new, great beach day. Paddle boards were very affordable as were the electric boats. We didn't use our full hour and they told us we could come back later and finish our time if we chose to do so. Being that it was a private island, we didn't have people constantly trying to sell us stuff, etc. This port stole the show for me!

Great suggestion about over 25 only being able to purchase the drink package. This part of our review shouldn't affect any others cruising as they won't be on spring break - but here is my group's take on it. First time cruisers, unfortunately, we could only do SB. I chose Norwegian trying to avoid most of the college crowd - but didn't think about the UBP luring them from Carnival to Norwegian. So, with that being said - there was throw up in the hallway that I witnessed, college kids who were wasted the entire 7 days (hey, I guess it is their vacation) but here's what I wish - I wish that when they were so drunk that they couldn't stand that the bars would actually cut them off until they got more sober. I realize they weren't driving, etc but the spilled drinks, the yelling all the time, etc kept me in my cabin most of the time on board. Luckily I had a balcony and so that was great, I spent hours and hours in peace there. I actually spent 10 minutes on the deck of the ship the entire time I was on the ship. I feel for those who had small kids who wanted to enjoy being out there for the pool, etc.

Oh no! I'm curious what deck you were on? We didn't have any on deck 12 but I was talking with another mom who was there with a big family group and her brother was on deck 5. She said it was a mess down there, all spring breakers, loud, etc.

I agree about the big pool - if I had older kids like preteen or high school, I would have been really mad as the college kids completely took over the pool and every hot tub there all day long. With younger kids, we had no trouble back in the kids pool area.

That being said, my hubs and I already decided we won't be cruising on spring break again. We're planning next year to just go during a short school break and take our older son out of school for an extra day or two.

Oh no! I'm curious what deck you were on? We didn't have any on deck 12 but I was talking with another mom who was there with a big family group and her brother was on deck 5. She said it was a mess down there, all spring breakers, loud, etc.

 

I agree about the big pool - if I had older kids like preteen or high school, I would have been really mad as the college kids completely took over the pool and every hot tub there all day long. With younger kids, we had no trouble back in the kids pool area.

 

That being said, my hubs and I already decided we won't be cruising on spring break again. We're planning next year to just go during a short school break and take our older son out of school for an extra day or two.

My friend and I had cabins on 10 - one on each side. She said she could smell weed being smoked out on the balcony, they were yelling. I was lucky - it was quiet in our hall, but if we were out of our cabins it was just chaotic. Spoke to a man who had a room on 8 not far from O'Sheehans (which I LOVED) and he said it was terrible. They were up and down the hall yelling and screaming, at the bar being loud all night. No sleep for him he said. My observation as a newbie was that anyone over the age of 25 was the friendliest I had ever met. Loved meeting people! If they were 25 or under, they were oblivious anyone else was on the ship. I guess it goes with the age though. Just thankful I had the balcony!

Ports - Costa Maya

This is the port I was most nervous about - I didn't find much info about it and being the last stop I was afraid to prebook anything in case the kids were too worn out.

Funny thing is, this turned out to be my favorite day of the whole trip! And that's saying a lot because each of our port days were awesome.

We headed off the ship and meandered through the shopping area until we found the $3 shuttle to take us into Mahahual. We watched some crazy aerialists climb a huge pole and fling themselves around on ropes, which was fun. I thought about staying at that pool right there at the pier because kids are always happy with a pool but I am SO glad we didn't.

We got on the shuttle and rode it to the last stop and planned to meander down the malecon until we found somewhere to stop. The beaches here are phenomenal! Clear water and virtually waveless, because of the natural barrier reef that protects the entire length of the malecon (boardwalk in Spanish). Shallow for ways out from shore so perfect for kids. Mahahual is much more real Mexico, not all touristy like Cozumel or Cancun, and I loved that about it.

We didn't make it very far before stumbling upon the Nacional Beach Club. We found some open padded loungers under a natural wood shade canopy right near the water. A nice stretch of uncrowded beach. The guys went up to the bar, with its awesome swinging barstools and ran into the owner, an American guy about our age. He was super nice and chatted with them a long while. He normally reserves his loungers for hotel guests but he said they weren't full so we were welcome to hang out. It was perfect! Bar service was fantastic, beer was cheap and I had the absolute best fresh margarita I've ever tasted!

The kids played in the ocean, we relaxed on the loungers or in the water hammocks. We walked a few steps up to the malecon and got the most glorious beachside massages for $15. It was the perfect day! I'm seriously so in love with this place that I want to move here.

I wished we had more time to stroll the malecon, shop, get dinner and just see more of the area. But we will certainly be back!

Nacional Beach Club & the fantastic massage ladies

The beautiful view from our loungers

Water hammocks

The bar right off the malecon

Loungers on the beach, we were there in the middle

The best margarita ever!!!!!

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A couple more pics from Costa Maya

The aerialists at the pier

Hanging upside down, crazy people

The pool at the pier

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Bar tips -

 

Since we're on the topic of drinks, a few more bar tips we discovered...

 

We had a TON of college spring breakers on this cruise. Way more than on our last Carnival spring break cruise. Obviously because of NCLs promotion with the free UBP. The cranky old lady in me wishes NCL would limit that promo to those over 25. But for the most part they were well behaved and didn't affect us....except when it came to lines at the bar. :rolleyes:

 

The Bliss bar is open early most days and there was hardly anyone there during the day - just people playing bingo. Much easier to grab a drink there on the way to wherever we were going. Also, the younger crowd mostly avoided Gatsby's so we'd head there for drinks as well.

 

Lastly, you can get drinks at any of the specialty restaurant bars even if you aren't eating there. And some have specialty drinks only available there. We had plans to try and hit each one once, but we really liked the bartender Benny at Los Lobos so we mostly went there. And it's just down the stairs from the kids club - double bonus. Get the Luna Margarita, you won't regret it! ;)

Try the spicy Margarita, it was great. Makes you want another. Some Margarita's at the other bars are pre mixed, not freshly made

Awww. I was so exhausted at Costa Maya that I didn't even get off the ship but noticed that the water was the most gorgeous of any we had up until then! Had I known how wonderful it was I would have pulled myself together. HAHA I enjoyed the relaxation though. I will make sure to make it back to this stop.

Very nice photos!

Entertainment -

We caught the magic show with the kids, and Second City without them. The little ones really loved the magic show and it was impressive enough to hold the adults' attention as well. The magician and his assistant did a Q&A session in Bliss one afternoon later in the week that we attended as well. He taught a few simple magic tricks with rubber bands and the kids just ate it up.

Second City was hilarious. They did a great job with both pre-written sketch and improv. The 9pm "family friendly" show was packed too so get there early if you want to good seat. We really wanted to see their adult show later in the week but it started at 10pm and the complimentary part of kids club closed at 10:30. One more reason this cruise wasn't very accommodating to those traveling with kids....

We spent a little time in the casino, pretty standard. Lots of penny slots. There was a pretty good singer at Gatsby's several nights, mostly soft rock like James Taylor and the Eagles.

The pool area was crazy loud and full of raucous spring breakers so we never stayed there to hear the band.

We talked with another guest who had been on the Dawn before not during spring break and he felt like they had changed the schedule to cater to the college crowd. I didn't have anything to compare it to but I could see what he meant - booty shaking contests at the pool, late starts to several things...[emoji849]

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Around the ship -

Lastly, I'll finish up with some pics and our favorite places around the ship.

The kids loved the T Rex kids pool area. There were a few different slides, two for bigger kids and one for toddlers, and a main pool with rotating water jets. There was also a kids hot tub which was a welcome addition for the kids and parents as every other hot tub on the ship was filled to capacity with college kids. I would say this area overall was geared toward the 10 and under set. It wasn't ever crowded either so we spent a lot of time here.

What was a bit odd was that there are no adult sized chairs in this area. Just kid chairs and kid sized loungers. Guess they expected lots of kid sunbathers? [emoji23] Obviously wasn't designed by a parent.

We did really like the design of the tiered pool deck overlooking the main pool with the Bimini Bar at the top. A great use of space.

My favorite kind of hidden spot were the loungers on Deck 13 in the front of the ship. It was away from the action and a great place to read or just hang out in the evenings. There's also a hidden hot tub up there but I never did get in it.

We liked the additional shuffleboard courts on Deck 7, just outside the shops. Not nearly as busy as the ones up in the sports area.

Our kids also enjoyed the view from the helicopter pad on the aft part of the ship behind the basketball court. It was a nice open space to let them run around a bit also.

I think that covers the highlights. We had a wonderful time on the Dawn and I'm sure you will too!

Kids pool

Toddler slide

Kids hot tub

The bigger slides at kids pool

Tiered decks at the main pool

Shuffle board on Deck 7

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Wait, one more pic to show the hilarious tiny loungers. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Ok, now I'm done! [emoji16]

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Love your review! We'll be on the Pearl NEXT spring break and I hadn't thought about all the college kids on spring break as well... that could get tricky. Good to know beforehand though. And now I'm extra extra glad I canceled my original booking of two oceanviews just down from o'sheehans and upgraded to the 2 bedroom suite. We will have the same itinerary though so I loved seeing what all you did at each port!

Love your review! We'll be on the Pearl NEXT spring break and I hadn't thought about all the college kids on spring break as well... that could get tricky. Good to know beforehand though. And now I'm extra extra glad I canceled my original booking of two oceanviews just down from o'sheehans and upgraded to the 2 bedroom suite. We will have the same itinerary though so I loved seeing what all you did at each port!

I was JUST looking at the Pearl for next spring break. :D Despite what I said about not going again on spring break, we have some more friends who'd like to join us next year and can only go during spring break. It's a lot to consider but if we do, I'll definitely get a balcony. I've avoided it in the past because it made me nervous with small kids, but on spring break with the free UBP, it would be worth it for the peace. Maybe we can start petitioning NCL to institute an age limit on the UBP? I'm sure not likely to happen...:')

Hello, great review. This answers most of my questions as about our kids, we are on the Dawn April 9th with our 2 boys (8 and 4). First time for them on a cruise.

Couple of questions:

1. Did your kids make friends at the Splash Academy?

2. In the kids pool, any issues with bigger kids "taking over" the pool area?

3. Any other tips for things to do on the ship/off the ship with the boys?

We are really looking forward to the trip. Thanks for the review.

Hello, great review. This answers most of my questions as about our kids, we are on the Dawn April 9th with our 2 boys (8 and 4). First time for them on a cruise.

 

Couple of questions:

1. Did your kids make friends at the Splash Academy?

2. In the kids pool, any issues with bigger kids "taking over" the pool area?

3. Any other tips for things to do on the ship/off the ship with the boys?

 

We are really looking forward to the trip. Thanks for the review.

You'll have a great time! I really think there's no better vacation with kids than a cruise.

They did make lots of friends! You tend to see the same people at drop offs and pick ups so it's easy to chat with the parents too. In fact, this last trip my older son really hit it off with another boy his same age and we ended up running into them at 3 out of 4 ports! They had a blast playing together and it was great for us parents as well.

We did not see big kids (12+) in the kids pool area at all. Like I said, I think it really only appeals to those around 10 and under and it's all enclosed (another great feature I forgot to mention - kids can't escape! The door handles are up high at the top of the glass door to get in and out of the kids pool area). I mostly saw big kids running around the ship, in the main pool, at the sports court, in the teen club, etc.

I think the only other thing I didn't mention is the arcade, directly across from kids club, but we mostly stayed out of there because that gets pricey quick!

Hi all, I'm just back from the Dawn cruise, Mar.12-19. The reviews here are always so helpful to me so I'm going to share my thoughts while they are fresh in my mind! It will probably take me a few sessions to get it all down, so bear with me. :D Feel free to ask questions if you have them and I'll do my best to answer.

 

For background, my husband and I travel with our two boys, ages 8 & 3 and this trip we were traveling with another couple with kids ages 5 & 2 so I'll mostly focus on how the trip was for us as a family. We've also only been on Carnival before so I'll be comparing some things between the two.

 

Overall we had a fantastic vacation but I would definitely say that Norwegian is oriented more toward older cruisers than families. More on that throughout the review...

What site are you using to store pictures for posting?

Thanks for your review. We loved Costa Maya too. I'm so glad you had a good trip. I'm reminded to watch out for spring break dates. Yeesh.

Thanks again.

What site are you using to store pictures for posting?

I used the Cruise Critic app and it lets you upload 6 pictures per post. :)

Thanks for your review. We loved Costa Maya too. I'm so glad you had a good trip. I'm reminded to watch out for spring break dates. Yeesh.

Thanks again.

Yes, if you can avoid it, I would! We've found the rates are generally cheaper before or after anyway. :D

Great review and pics, thank you! Looking forward to our Dawn adventure in November. No spring break crowds for us! ;p