Norwegian Dawn: Help me out

[Raycruise2010]

I was about to book my next cruise on the Celebrity Solstice. Then, just this morning, I received an email from Norwegian with some incredibly low prices on the same Southern Caribbean itinerary --- NCL's cost is roughly half that of Celebrity. I've never cruised Norwegian because I've seen some very mixed reviews. Is the food as mediocre as most say? What about the entertainment? what else can you tell me? Thanks in advance for any help.

[fridaythe13th]

Our most recent cruise on the Gem was great. Food is very subjective as what I might like you might not. I will say that it was "average", not 5*. You can go to a specialty restaurant and pay for a "better than average" meal. We usually just stick with the main dining rooms. As far as the number of kids aboard depends on the time of year. There were a lot of kids in November out of NY. Longer cruises tend to keep the kid count down. I have never been on Celebrity but would love to sail on the Solstice but always go for the better price. We have always enjoyed the entertainment on NCL. Hope this helps!

[gizzer]

I just got home yesterday from the Dawn's 9 day southern carribbean cruise. I had a great time!

 

The food in the main dining room and in the specialty restaurants was excellent. We liked the freestyle concept so that we could eat when we wanted. We never had to wait to be seated - this might have been different if we had been traveling with a large group, but it was just my husband and me. The food at the buffet was just ok (not bad, not great), but that's what you get when you eat at a buffet. All the other food was delicious.

 

The ports of call (Tortola, Antigua, Barbados and St. Kitts) were fantastic. In Samana, we did the Cayo Levantado shore excursion, which was a private island. Nice beach, crystal water, very relaxing. Some people who went into Samana on their own (not on an NCL excursion) said there was nothing to do, so if you book make sure you either choose an excusion in Samana or stay on the ship.

 

The ship is showing her age a little, with a little wear and tear here and there, but nothing that should detract from your experience.

 

The shows were great fun, except for one comedian who told really dumb jokes. There was ALWAYS something going on, and the main entertainment, such as Second City and RootBerry, were great.

 

My husband and I had such a good time that we already put down a deposit for another NCL cruise.

[Highlander1]

Don't hesitate to book NCL, particularly if the price is that good. As fot the reputation of inferior food and entertainmnet, we found NCL's food to be on par with Princess, in fact the sides and appetizers were superior. The entertainment was terrific and the Dawn is a great ship with a wonderful crew.

 

We are in the process of trying all the major lines, so far NCL is our favorite.

[suz1607]

I was about to book my next cruise on the Celebrity Solstice. Then, just this morning, I received an email from Norwegian with some incredibly low prices on the same Southern Caribbean itinerary --- NCL's cost is roughly half that of Celebrity. I've never cruised Norwegian because I've seen some very mixed reviews. Is the food as mediocre as most say? What about the entertainment? what else can you tell me? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

We are just off the Dawn on this same itinerary and have also sailed Celebrity many times. To me the feel of the cruise lines is different with Celebrity being more traditional and NCL more relaxing. We particularly like being able to eat when and where we like. We do eat in the specialty restaurants most of the time. I think Celebrity's main dining room food is better but the food in NCL's specialty restaurants surpasses that.

We cruise in suites and for this NCL surpasses Celebrity, however, from observation Celebrity's standard staterooms may be better. Nothing surpasses NCL's suite service or rooms, in my opinion.

I think NCL,s entertainment is better. The spa's are about equal - depending on the ship.

Dawn is badly in need of dry dock and is scheduled for it in May. If you plan to cruise after that I would choose Dawn, otherwise I would choose Celebrity. This is a great itinerary. Obviously, this is a highly subjective answer and others may not agree. Which ever you choose you will enjoy. The ports are great!

[dwjoe]

I've cruised Solstice and Dawn. Food and entertainment were comparable. Both ships were efficient, style was different though... on the Solstice service was a bit more elegant, on the Dawn I'd say it was a bit friendlier. Major differences were more formal and older on Celebrity, more flexibile dining and casual dress on NCL. Either ship should provide a great vacation.

 

When comparing prices, make sure you count all taxes, fees, additional passengers (if any) etc. to make sure you're comparing apples to apples.