Dawn to Bermuda 5-30-2010 to 6-6-2010

[stormcastle]

We had a delightful cruise on the Dawn to Bermuda. Although New York was very busy, with Fleet Week in progress, we had no trouble reaching the port. Normally we park at the port (secure and easy) but we had to park at pier 90 rather than pier 88. Fleet Week activities apparently were using the pier 88 parking for guests attending a Memorial Day service on the helicopter carrier docked next to the Dawn. We arrived around 10:30 AM and walked the short distance to pier 88. After entering the elevator, we entered the embarkation area. Since we had reserved a penthouse (9002), we were able to bypass the developing lines and go directly to check in. Then we were escorted to the VIP waiting area.

 

Anoop, the concierge, arrived shortly thereafter and issued our room keys. Some refreshments were available but we didn’t have any—coffee, tea, juice, and I think some sweet rolls. Boarding started at approximately 11:30; we were escorted to Cagney’s for lunch. Cagney’s opened at noon. Rooms were ready around 1:00. Staff members were still taking fruit bowls and flower arrangements into rooms but everything else was completed.

 

We loved our room especially for the huge balcony. On our previous cruise, we stayed in 8670 aft which had a small balcony. This time I did research before booking and discovered how much bigger the balconies are in the forward 9th deck penthouses. We had room for the 2 lounge chairs and a table but could have actually fit about 6 lounges! However, the deck side walls slope downward so when standing at the rail, it is possible to look over into the next balcony. While we gained lots of space, we lost some privacy. And, of course, anyone in the Bridge can look directly down and view about 75% of the balcony. We were not bothered by the lack of privacy as we loved sitting out on the balcony during most of the cruise and especially for coffee in the mornings. I think we only had breakfast at Cagney’s one morning as we enjoyed ordering room service and enjoying breakfast on the balcony.

 

Our room—I love the penthouse. It is very comfortable and roomy enough for 2 people. I sleep so well in that bed and I am usually very uncomfortable in strange beds. The bed has enough support without being too hard; the covers/comforter and pillows are good quality. And the bath towels—can they get any bigger?? Very plush.

 

We always choose a penthouse so we can have the wonderful perk of breakfast and lunch in Cagney’s. Our timing was off on this cruise—most mornings we slept in as late as possible thus missing breakfast, we would get something to eat in the Garden Café and then usually were not ready for lunch before Cagney’s closed. Oh well! Next cruise. I did miss those crab cakes for lunch!

 

The cruise down to Bermuda was very smooth—the weather cooperated—warm, sunny, and the seas were smooth. It was hard to feel the ship’s movement. Lovely and relaxing. The return to NY was a little rougher—has some swells for part of the trip then the sea calmed down. I did see the barf bags near elevators so I guess some people were bothered by the rolling.

 

Our cruise began with a meet and greet that was actually well attended—we met some of the new officers including the new captain. We had time to sit and talk with some of our fellow passengers. Thank you, Michelle, for organizing the M&G.

 

Since we had done this same cruise in April of this year, we felt no need to rush around sightseeing—we wanted to spend one day at the beach and maybe do a little shopping. We bought round trip tokens ($16 for 2 of us) to ride the ferry to Hamilton rather than buying the 2 or 3 day passes. And we decided to try Snorkel Beach Park since we could walk from the pier. Snorkel Beach Park has recently undergone a change in ownership and had a grand reopening the end of May. Since we had never been there, we don’t know what changes were made. The Lonely Planet Guide to Bermuda listed admission as $2 each but now it is $5. The beach is small and cozy; the coral reef wraps around to create a lagoon which prevents the stronger waves from hitting the beach so it is a very nice place for children and for people who are not good swimmers (like me). The water is fairly shallow for a good distance out from the shore and is clear enough that you can wade out and see the fish swimming all around you. My husband did a little snorkeling while I enjoyed watching the fish in the shallow water. A rather large (12 to 14 inches), rainbow colored fish, actually came right up on the shore. It would swim into the shore until it was half out of the water and then with a flip and a flap would go back out again.

 

Snorkel Beach has chairs and lounges for rent at $10 and $15 each. Also available: umbrellas, paddle boats, large floatation toys (turtles, dolphins), kayaks, and jet skies. There is a restaurant/bar called the Hammerhead with a limited lunch menu: hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. A hotdog platter—large beef hotdog, generous portion of fries, and coleslaw cost $10. Same price for the hamburger platter—and both were good. The best part of lunch was sitting in the open pavilion and eating while gazing across the lovely ocean view. Snorkel Beach is a little pricey (just as in the rest of Bermuda), but I would go back. It was fairly quiet and not crowded. And it was very nice to be able to reach the beach by walking.

 

On board the Dawn, we attended the Blast from the Past show by Jose and Patty—this performance was even better than the one they did back in April. They sang several songs we had not previously heard. We also went to their “Grand Ole Atrium” country show. While their performance was good, I don’t care for the Atrium as the venue. We had an excellent table in Salsa; we looked almost straight across the atrium to the “stage” on the stair landing. While this venue can house more guests for the performances, I think the performance falls a little flat—the acoustics are not as good as in Dazzles; there is too much open space so you get a hollow, echoing sound. Additionally, I think Jose and Patty perform best in an intimate space where the audience becomes a part of the show. Although they encourage people to sing along, I heard no one around us singing. But in the Dazzles location, almost everyone sings and the energy in the audience feeds into their performance. I was disappointed in the Atrium location for a third reason—many people dining in Salsa were there for dinner; the music was a backdrop only. As a result, my husband and I, who were there to hear the music as well as eat dinner, had to contend with distracting chatter in the background. Very annoying. However, I am also glad to see the management trying new ideas.

 

On this cruise, we played slots in the Casino more than we had in the past. I started with $50 playing the 2 cent machines and won enough to keep me going through several hours of gambling over the 7 day cruise. Fun, mindless entertainment.

 

We were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with this cruise; unexpectedly, we received a complimentary dinner and wine at any surcharge restaurant of our choice. Of course, we went to Cagney’s. Excellent meal—my lobster was tender, moist, and surprisingly large. My husband had prime rib and it was prepared just as he ordered it.

 

We tried the Asian Fusion restaurant for the first time and were quite pleased with the meal. We shared some items: a crab Rangoon with a spicy plum sauce that was very delicate and tasty, spring rolls, some type of beef on skewers with a hint of BBQ, and the green tea (excellent and hot). I know we had something else but can’t remember what. I do know that we will go there again.

 

We ate in Aqua one night—we had really enjoyed this restaurant on the last cruise. It was okay this time. My husband had a steak and he said it was good. I got the chicken dish and it just seemed bland—edible but nothing to get excited about. Service was good but we ate late that night—around 10:00 PM—felt that the crew was trying to get cleaned up and closed down before 10:30.

 

We enjoy going to the Garden Café especially at off hours when the crowds are not there. We always find many good things to eat—from main courses to desserts. We especially love the fresh fruits and the breads. I don’t usually like buffets but this one always has a good selection. And everything we tried was at the right temperature and very good.

 

Saturday morning we tried the Venetian Big Band Brunch. The Venetian Room always reminds me of the old style MDRs of days gone by—it is a very elegantly decorated room but also cavernous. We were able to pick a table off to the side of the main entrance where the ceiling is a little lower creating a more intimate dining space and also a quieter dining area. Service was very good and the buffet was impressive. Mounds of sweet rolls and a variety of finger foods—lots of salmon and beef with pretty decorations, a salad station, breads and desserts. Unfortunately, there was no fruit selection! I was surprised and disappointed in that. They did have an interesting ice sculpture—a saxophone, maybe?? In addition to the buffet, we were able to order from a limited menu—more lunch type meals than breakfast—with a selection from some of the specialty restaurants. My husband and I both ordered omelets; he wanted some potatoes with his. When the server returned with the omelets, there were no potatoes. When questioned, he hesitated and said, “potatoes do not come with the omelet” but he said he would check on it. A few minutes later, he returned with potatoes—he was able to take potatoes prepared to go with the Le Bistro steak. (This is one of the things I love about NCL—the staff tries to make everything right for the passenger.) The omelets were okay—hot and edible just nothing outstanding. During the brunch, the Dawn band played music from all decades not from the Big Band Era as I expected but that was okay since I am not that much of a Big Band fan. Two of the singers were outstanding—a young woman who was also part of the serving staff sang. She has a sweet, light voice and the song suited her talents. Another singer was a young man who was a member of the band—sounded as if he could do Frank Sinatra imitations—quite good. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch their names. The comic, Dave Heenan also sang and threw out a few one liner jokes—his singing is okay but his humor is very old and tired (based on the limited ones I heard). Another man sang also and, again, okay, but nothing great. I like the idea of the Big Band Brunch but it needs more pizzazz, something more lively.

 

Service on the Dawn: Anoop was the concierge. I love Anoop—he is always smiling and available. He made reservations for us and checked with us to make sure everything was okay. Das was our butler and we put him to work this time with our requests for room service—he was always smiling and happy to provide us with whatever we needed. Our room steward was Noel who kept our room spotless. Anytime we were out of the room, he was there to clean and to resupply—not quite sure how he was able to time it so precisely. Only once did we interrupt him by returning to the room to retrieve something we had forgotten. And he was always so cheerful.

 

Not everyone on board had as good an experience as we did. We happened to talk with a fellow cruiser who had a room on deck 8. He said the water leak problems continued even in his room (sorry didn’t get the room number); crew members had to set up a fan to dry the water. The water was also shut off on the 8th deck for a few hours so repairs could be completed. This passenger said he received a $200 compensation (OBC) for his inconvenience although we were in port at the time and he said they were on shore for the time the water was off so it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.

 

We do enjoy being on the Dawn and will be sailing some of the other ships in the fleet in the near future. We love the staff and crew and we are always amazed when they remember our names from cruise to cruise! I have trouble with names from day to day so I assume they have some training in memory retention. And I love the friendliness of the NCL employees—it is so consistent that I know it is not just a job for most of them.:)

[BayStateguppy]

Great Review.

 

Thank you!

[tammy531]

Thanks for the great review....I will be on the Dawn June 13th!! I just have an inside cabin on Deck 5 so hopefully I will have as great an experience as you did!!:)

[julescruisin]

Great review, I will be back to Beautiful Bermuda in August on the Spirit and was wondering what you thought of the new Snorkle Beach. We were there last Aug. and had a great time, maybe it's time to try Elbow Beach have you been to any other beaches. We arrive on a Sunday and all shops will be closed so we thought a great beach day is in order with 4 teenage girls and 4 exhausted parents:p Thanks and Happy Cruising

[2Cruise4Ever]

Thank you for the review! We are also sailing this Sunday the 13th. It'll be nice to see and experience the changes have been made since we were on her last year.

 

Not happy about the cover charge for Snorkel Park. But, I guess it'll be ok for the one day we plan to be there.

[Azure Moon]

Wonderful review!

 

Loved reading about your experience at Snorkel Park. I'd been thinking the area might be a good place for my group to visit, but am even more sure of it now. :)

 

Also loved your description of the Brunch. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Sorry to hear about the lack of fruit :(. One of the nicest thing about NCL is their fruit offerings. Hope to sign us up for the Brunch in a couple of weeks ---YAY!

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and post about your trip :cool:.