Dawn out of Tampa

the refurbishment in 2016 was beautiful from the pictures I have seen. Any thoughts on how the Dawn now compares to either the Pearl or Jade overall? Is she worth a try or stick with a newer ship like Getaway or Escape? I know, apples and oranges😜

Is the service on Dawn fair, good, excellent? I personally found the service far superior on the Pearl over the Jade and attribute this to the Hotel manager...much better on the Pearl.

Can anyone tell me who currently is the hotel manager on the Dawn?

Thanks

Tom

IMO the Dawn is the best ship in the NCL fleet. It is the perfect size and has enough to do without having so much that you don't know if you are coming or going.

IMO the Dawn is the best ship in the NCL fleet. It is the perfect size and has enough to do without having so much that you don't know if you are coming or going.

That is great to hear. We're booked on the Dawn for the Feb 25 cruise. Last year we did the Epic and there were just too many people. I wasn't a fan of having to make reservations for shows, either. When I'm cruising I prefer to sort of wing it. All the photos of the Dawn I've seen so far point to it being a very nice ship.

That is great to hear. We're booked on the Dawn for the Feb 25 cruise. Last year we did the Epic and there were just too many people. I wasn't a fan of having to make reservations for shows, either. When I'm cruising I prefer to sort of wing it. All the photos of the Dawn I've seen so far point to it being a very nice ship.

We sailed on the Dawn last year after dry dock and the new facilities were beautiful.

That being said, we have done 13 cruises on NCL megaships (Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape) and greatly prefer those ships over the smaller ships. Having more things to do, places to eat, Broadway shows, things to see is our preference. You can't get that on the small ships.

Don't miss eating at Los Lobos! Great food.

We sailed on the Dawn last year after dry dock and the new facilities were beautiful.

 

That being said, we have done 13 cruises on NCL megaships (Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape) and greatly prefer those ships over the smaller ships. Having more things to do, places to eat, Broadway shows, things to see is our preference. You can't get that on the small ships.

 

Don't miss eating at Los Lobos! Great food.

I can't wait to try Los Lobos! One of our perks is the dining package and I'm also looking forward to Cagney's. Not sure what our third choice will be.

The Dawn is my favorite ship. Sailed it 5-6 times. Perfect size. Sailed the Epic last year and hated it. If you thought the Epic had too many people, you'll love the Dawn.

I love sailing out of Tampa! The first hour of the cruise getting thru the Tampa port and cruising under the Sky Bridge is so, so cool!

But beware of Tampa too. It gets foggy in February to the point that whole cruises get cancelled! The whole port gets fogged in and all cruise ships get affected. I can verify this happens! Two years ago, I flew from Boston for a February cruise out of Tampa. A few hours before embarkation I get a text not to come to the port because the port is fogged in and no cruise ships have been allowed by Port Authority to get in/out of the port. They say "We'll text you more info at 6pm". So the whole first day we walk around the Tampa International Mall. 6pm comes and we get another text....."Still fogged in and no cruise ships will be entering or leaving Tampa Cruise Port until the next day." So one whole day of our cruise is lost. I scramble for a last minute hotel and last minute car rental......not cheap last minute at all! Then the next day I get another text......"Port still fogged in and the cruise is cancelled."

I had purchased cruise insurance but the whole cruise cost was refunded so that voided the trip insurance. But unfortunately for me, 5 days of hotel and car rental and food in Florida with no advanced notice cost way more than the price of the cruise fare. I was out a lot of money but more importantly a special vacation never happened!

Tampa does get fogged in. It isn't uncommon at all. That's my story with Tampa. As far as the Dawn, if you don't have an interest in ropes courses or water slides, or basketball courts or the gimmicky things, the Dawn will suite you well. I have teen daughters, they go down he water slide one time and tell me......"The water slides at Six Flags are way better" and that's the end of the water slide on the Escape. Turns out we never use the sports courts, the ropes course or any of that. I'd probably be just as happy on the Dawn.