The "Suite" Life - Dawn Review - 9/2/11

Never having sailed in a suite before, and being the very first passengers to experience the new suites on deck 12, what follows is our take. The only part that really sucked was the fact that we are probably spoiled for life :D

It is very long, DW says I never know when to shut up and will post in daily segments, it reflects our unique experience, remember, "your mileage may vary", got a question, feel free to fire away.....

9/2/2011 (Day 1)

Our vacation begins with a smooth trip to Boston, after dropping Wyatt (our rescued Border Collie) at grandma’s. Just 90 minutes later we pulled into the port parking lot. We got in the elevator at level 4 and met Joyce & John who are also from our Hometown, though we have never met before, Joyce immediately asked us about the M & G! :cool: Arrived at the terminal at noon, waited 2 minutes for new luggage tags, as our cabin had changed, dropped the bags with a porter and into security we went. Ten minutes later using the CAS line we were in front of a clerk at the counter. This dragged a bit when she was unable to find a key for us, though I could clearly see a table labeled deck 12 keys, she excused herself and went for info and then came back up behind us to say we would need to follow her. :eek: DW asked, “is this a good or bad thing”, she responds that it is very good and escorts us to the VIP lounge. :D It is here we are greeted by Virginia, who is to be our concierge and offered tea, coffee, sandwiches, desserts, etc., laid out in a small buffet. We are notified of an itinerary change, and that we will be arriving in Bermuda 3 hours early at 8:00AM in anticipation of a possible early departure due to the threatening Hurricane Katia.

Not 5 min. later Gian, our butler introduces himself to us and escorts us onto the ship toting all of our carry-ons like a mule J He wouldn’t let me carry a thing! Laptop, Camera and 2 carryon’s and off we go…. On the way we found out that we are the very first guests to use the brand new suite, 12522, a SD family suite, how cool…

Our cabin, was immaculate and we were greeted by an iced bottle of champagne…. Queen size bed, bench, sofa, Coffee table, 2 side chairs, a small dining table seating 4, a large desk area with 9 drawers, refrigerator, lavazza expresso machine, big screen tv (40”?) and a cordless phone that works throughout the ship. The area measures about 18/20. In addition, a walk thru closet of about 4/5 that leads into a huge bath probably 6/12 with 2 sinks, full size tub, and a very nice glass shower with a rain shower head. The real head turner; a balcony measuring about 6/20 with 2 wicker loungers, both very comfortably padded and a table….no chair hogging going on here. Stay the heck off my 3” padded lounge with pillow…. :D They say it sleeps 6 and would I suppose, it has a sliding wall to partition off the bed completely, the couch folds out and there was a murphy bed folded up into the wall.

The immediate issue we notice is that the closet is huge but very poorly laid out. The space for hanging length garments is not more than 18”, there are drawers and shelves and another hanging rod over the safe which was all but useless. :confused: Our Spirit balconies in the past, had better laid out closets than this suite. Deal breaker, NO, but be aware, we don’t know what you would do if you had 6 people in here, or traveling for more than 7 days. It is just not adequate for this space. My biggest issue, I use a CPAP machine and the outlets behind the bed are 220 so are not compatible. I travel with an extension cord, but it was not long enough due to the suite size. Gian worked hard to resolve the issue but could not, no fault of his. My only solution, 2 cords strung together across the middle of the suite at night, setting up a very serious trip hazard, as it needs to be crossed at night to use the head, no matter where you are. The alternate solution, use 40’ of cord to surround the suite to get to where you need to be.

Embarkation lunch at Cagney’s was wonderful, quiet, relaxing and laid back, nice not to have to deal with all of the noise and crowding in the Garden Café, it is a really nice perk. After the boat drill, our muster station was in the theater, we are ready to sail away. Later we have a snack of chicken wings in the Blue Lagoon, they messed up our order, but the wings were good as usual… Being exhausted from work scheduled and the travel day, we just did a late snack in the buffet for dinner and the food was adequate. Gian was busy popping in and out throughout the day delivering flowers, fruit, cookies and chocolate covered strawberries, I could get used to this type of service.

Did not attend any sailaway events as we have sailed from Boston many times, we were very content to watch land slip away from our balcony. Finished the evening in the casino, where lady luck wasn’t exactly smiling, let’s just say round 1 they pounded me, round 2 I pounded them, call it a draw. That makes me winner!!!

Thank you for the review, I look forward to more. I am on the Dawn next week! It is interesting to hear about the new suites. I am in an aft penthouse on deck 8 and am concerned about noise. As many of the new family suites are open it might be a possibility that I could switch into one, have been working with my PCC. But so far--not having heard from anyone who actually had one--AND loving the idea of an aft--I have stuck with the aft penthouse and hoping for the best. One of my biggest concerns was the size of the balcony in the new suites--sounds like yours was very nice though--so I am wondering again. . .

Glad you had a good time! Waiting for more.:)

A great start! Can't wait to read the rest!

Anxious to read the rest of your review, as we are in one of the new SD suites in a little less than three weeks!

Would love to know about the entertainment on board -- not the shows but the entertainers in the bars and lounges!

Thank you for this review. Please post any pictures you have of your SD suite and any of the newer areas onboard the ship. We are considering either an SD or SJ. Do you know if the SD is smaller than an SJ on the inside due to the balcony or does the balcony protrude outside of the hull.

Thanks again for the wonderful review.

Please write more.:) I'm sailing on the Dawn late November, in the suite right across the hall and can't wait to hear more and see pictures if possible.

Thanks!

Thank you for the review, I look forward to more. I am on the Dawn next week! It is interesting to hear about the new suites. I am in an aft penthouse on deck 8 and am concerned about noise. As many of the new family suites are open it might be a possibility that I could switch into one, have been working with my PCC. But so far--not having heard from anyone who actually had one--AND loving the idea of an aft--I have stuck with the aft penthouse and hoping for the best. One of my biggest concerns was the size of the balcony in the new suites--sounds like yours was very nice though--so I am wondering again. . .

 

Glad you had a good time! Waiting for more.:)

I'm not sure of the aft balcony sizes, but all on deck 12 have 2 lounges and a table, some are larger than other's I believe we had one of the largest. I like decks 11 or 12 because they are convenient to everything, especially the pool area, which was just 6 cabins away.

Anxious to read the rest of your review, as we are in one of the new SD suites in a little less than three weeks!

 

Would love to know about the entertainment on board -- not the shows but the entertainers in the bars and lounges!

The piano player in the Star Bar was quite good, the duo playing in the atrium were very talented also. I believe Dave the commediane who does a show in the theater also does a bit in the atrium too. There are the customary "dating game" type shows in the spinnaker, they also did "Dancing with the Stars" which was quite good. We did not make it to "Quest". You will find more choices than you will be able to attend.

I like your style Mrclean and the read thus far is enjoyable!

coka

Please write more.:) I'm sailing on the Dawn late November, in the suite right across the hall and can't wait to hear more and see pictures if possible.

 

Thanks!

Gian handles 10 suites, hope you are lucky enough to get him, he will make your voyage a memorable one. If you get him, be sure and tell him "Sir Steve" says hello:D

Mr. Clean, Thanks for the additional information. Also, any observations about how late the night life went on. As we are in an aft suite over Spinnakers--and have gotten very concerned about the noise--jsut wondering how late it went. I am thinking the fall crowd is more sedate--so dancing might wind up around midnight as opposed to 3am as seemed to be the case in the summer from what some wrote here. Any observations would be appreciated.

Mr. Clean, Thanks for the additional information. Also, any observations about how late the night life went on. As we are in an aft suite over Spinnakers--and have gotten very concerned about the noise--jsut wondering how late it went. I am thinking the fall crowd is more sedate--so dancing might wind up around midnight as opposed to 3am as seemed to be the case in the summer from what some wrote here. Any observations would be appreciated.

My mom and I were in an aft balcony above Bliss lounge on deck 8 of the Pearl the END of October. The music and bass vibration from the lounge went on until at least 1 am. I don't know how many people were down there because I didn't go look but you could clearly hear and feel the music. Four of our 8 NCL cruises have been stern staterooms but i would not do another above nightclub. That being said, if you are young and like loud rock music and bass vibration it might not bother you.

One of these new Dawn deck 12 family suites with balcony might be great option for you. It's nice to hear that on the Dawn, unlike the Star, there are family suites with balcony that also have the murphy bed. We're in family suite on Star in 2 weeks :) but sans balcony. The wall of windows and proximity to public outdoor space will make up for no balcony.

Mr. Clean, Thanks for the additional information. Also, any observations about how late the night life went on. As we are in an aft suite over Spinnakers--and have gotten very concerned about the noise--jsut wondering how late it went. I am thinking the fall crowd is more sedate--so dancing might wind up around midnight as opposed to 3am as seemed to be the case in the summer from what some wrote here. Any observations would be appreciated.

Can't comment on spinnaker's as we didn't do any late nights there. Pool deck parties were generally done around 12:00, I'm guessing it is the same for spinnaker's. Only noise we had was when they were setting or tearing down the lounges on deck 13 above us, it really was not that bad. The loudest noise was from the ships horn blowing a signal every couple of minutes the last afternoon and evening due to the heavy fog. It was loud with the balcony door open but not bad with it closed.

My mom and I were in an aft balcony above Bliss lounge on deck 8 of the Pearl the END of October. The music and bass vibration from the lounge went on until at least 1 am. I don't know how many people were down there because I didn't go look but you could clearly hear and feel the music. Four of our 8 NCL cruises have been stern staterooms but i would not do another above nightclub. That being said, if you are young and like loud rock music and bass vibration it might not bother you.

 

One of these new Dawn deck 12 family suites with balcony might be great option for you. It's nice to hear that on the Dawn, unlike the Star, there are family suites with balcony that also have the murphy bed. We're in family suite on Star in 2 weeks :) but sans balcony. The wall of windows and proximity to public outdoor space will make up for no balcony.

I think 10 of those family suites have balconys, very nice! I am surprised at the number of suites without balconys, would deffinately be a deal breaker for us, no balcony, no go... We are booked on the Star for 14 days in Oct. 2012 and were surprised to see no SD's with balconys.

I think 10 of those family suites have balconys, very nice! I am surprised at the number of suites without balconys, would deffinately be a deal breaker for us, no balcony, no go... We are booked on the Star for 14 days in Oct. 2012 and were surprised to see no SD's with balconys.

Thanks for the information about the SD's and the new suites. We have been on the Dawn twice but stayed in the SC suites. These new ones look really nice.

The Star does have 4 of the family suites that have balconies. I believe that they are the cat. SD. The ones without balconies are SJ's. We will be in a SJ in Feb. on the Star.

You can see the 5 balconys up there on 12, we were in the 2nd one back.

9/3 (day2)

OK, just so you know, I’m not the type of guy who needs to bother others and I’m really low maintenance. Gian told me he works 6:00AM to 10:00PM, and here it is 5:50AM, I’m up, watching a beautiful sunrise through our floor to ceiling wall of glass conveniently facing East…. I debate going to the buffet for coffee and decide no, I’m calling room service for a pot and just sitting right here. Room service answers, says, “Sir, you have a butler, I’ll connect you, before I can get a word in, Gian is on the phone, and did his delivery 10 minutes later. Mary Lee and I are still laughing about this one. This brings up a point I forgot to mention earlier, these suites do have different size balconies; originally we were booked into one with 70 sq. ft. and then our rep. realized that there was another available with 120 sq. ft., bigger is always better….

Breakfasted this morning at Cagney’s, great food, great service, and the Fruits de Mer, was superb. Then, back to the Star Bar at 10:15 to check to see everything was set for our M & G, I had a nice chat with Virginia our concierge, who introduced me to our group coordinator. The room was ready and waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, but I just had to make sure everything was in order as I took the lead in organizing the M & G, and was a little nervous never having done it before. Shortly after the first couple arrives, I look up and am flabbergasted to see Captain Stephan heading our way, we had a great chat and he posed for personal pictures, before he stationed himself at the door to greet new arrivals. The whole executive staff then arrived from the hotel, bar, and restaurant managers to the head chef and many more. They all made themselves available to answer questions, several people commented about how the Captain spent so much time with us. Attendance was pretty good, I think we had 25 attend of the original 38 who had signed up, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

After the greet DW and I moved on over to Topsider’s for a cocktail and some day planning time. We heard Captain Stephan make his Noon announcement from the bridge, and then maybe 15 minutes later he appears again, this time with some of his executive officers for lunch at Topsider’s. I thanked him again, and reported how most of us were so impressed that he would take so much time from his busy day. He thanked me and said how he wanted to make sure our trip as enjoyable as possible. I told him we were going the see him again this evening at his cocktail party and not to think I was stalking him, we had a chuckle J

After spending a little time poolside, DW took a 3 hour nap on our balcony lounger under overcast but warm skies. I need to point out that after all of the posts regarding chair hogging, I really didn’t experience that much of it. Loungers and tables were available, and while your seat might not be at the edge of the pool, they were easy to find. Later, I made another run at the casino making a minor donation. Gian has been busy, with deliveries of treats from the CAS department, and later again with treats from Les Riley, the Hotel Director whom we met at the M & G.

Back to the cabin to shower and dress, our first wrinkle develops when I realize we have no hot water! We contact the deck supervisor and before he can respond, it is back on, so all is well again. Before we know it, it is time for the Captain’s VIP reception in the Star Bar, where we enjoyed canapés, wine and an open bar. The event was attended by around 60-80 of us and the executive staff was all there again and most remembered us from the M & G. From there we moved on the the production show, Band On The Run in the Stardust Theater, and fortunately Virginia arranged seating for us (another suite perk) as we arrived about 1 minute before show time. It was quite good, you may want to check this one out.

After the show, we opted for dinner at Moderno, and while I had one of the best filets I have ever eaten the jury is still out on this one. The quality of the food was superb, but neither of us were thrilled with the way it is served, it’s not really convenient to be approached constantly with new offerings and the side dishes left a lot to be desired. With about 10 different offerings carved tableside, and as much as you would like, you might be here for a while. If you’re a carnivore, this would be the place for you, but did not really impress us not because of food or quality, but just because it really is not our style. For about the same 20pp I’d much rather be in Le Bistro or Cagneys. The location however is quite nice, overlooking the atrium and its nightly entertainment, across the deck from Blue Lagoon which enjoys the same views. On subsequent nights we noted there was never much of a crowd there in Moderno and wonder if that space really is being utilized well, remember, “your mileage may vary”. After dinner DW called it a day, while I on the other hand traveled below to do battle with the Casino Gods, very successfully I might add, we are now in the plus column, this could be habit forming.

Thank you for this review. Please post any pictures you have of your SD suite and any of the newer areas onboard the ship. We are considering either an SD or SJ. Do you know if the SD is smaller than an SJ on the inside due to the balcony or does the balcony protrude outside of the hull.

 

Thanks again for the wonderful review.

From the little peeks we got, I believe they are exactly the same inside, the only difference being the SJ has no balcony, but the exterior view looks like the cabin may be deeper as it appears to extend out to where our balcony ended.

Thanks for the info Mr Clean - will be in a SD in just three weeks - so glad I changed from the penthouse on 8aft. I'm sure it'll be so much more pleasantly quiet on 12. Can't wait!:)

Great review, awesome pictures! Love the sunrise...hope you are planning to post more! We have a balcony on deck 9 in 2 weeks...noticed the prices dropping and you are tempting me to call for an upgrade! :rolleyes:

Did you eat in the buffet at all? My DH loves the buffet...I love the dining room...we found the buffet on the Jewel last fall to be frustrating - could never find a seat!!

I am anxiously waiting for the rest of your review!! Thanks again!!!

Great review, awesome pictures! Love the sunrise...hope you are planning to post more! We have a balcony on deck 9 in 2 weeks...noticed the prices dropping and you are tempting me to call for an upgrade! :rolleyes:

 

Did you eat in the buffet at all? My DH loves the buffet...I love the dining room...we found the buffet on the Jewel last fall to be frustrating - could never find a seat!!

 

I am anxiously waiting for the rest of your review!! Thanks again!!!

Do it if you can, problem is you will be spoiled for life!!! Yes, we utilized the buffet quite a bit, we never did the dining rooms, we did Moderno, Le Bistro and Cagney's each one night and used the buffet the other four. After big breakfasts or lunches in Cagney's, I just couldn't do big dinners too!! My wife and I both thought that the quality of the food was much better than we have experienced in the past, maybe it is the ship, maybe the chef or perhaps it is true fleet wide. We never had a problem finding seats, especially towards the stern.

We too booked a deck 9 balcony and upgraded the week before we sailed. I booked through the CAS department, so really don't want to make it public here, but e-mail me privately and I'll let you know the deal in case it helps you to negotiate if you go that route. Slachowetz at AOL dot COM, just insert the appropriate symbols. It was the best upgrade we ever bought...

And yes, there are 5 more days coming, as quick as I can put them together. I outlined them while on board and have to use my notes to write them.

Thanks, Steve

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review. I called this morning and upgraded to one of the new SD suites for my cruise, just wish I had waited till I came home from shopping and seen your review I would have went for your cabin with the larger balcony.

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Did you find there was much traffic around your rooms? I was wondering because its near the pool and an elevator just towards the bow?

Great pictures by the way, thank you!

Wonderful review! I'm really enjoying the pictures and detail your words paint. Thank you for taking the time to do this. :)

On another note, I prefer the browns and neutrals I'm seeing used in your cabins. The Las Vegas showgirl colors in the older suites are a real turnoff for me, so I'm personally glad to see the change in style. The purples and greens in the older builds are a little too energetic and dated, in my humble opinion. However, the neutrals I see in your cabin aren't staid and boring, either... it's not all formal marble or blah colors. *thumbs up to NCL's current interior decorators*