Just back from the Dawn 5/23-5/30...LOVED IT!

[ally10169]

We are back home now, back to diapers and sippy cups and having to cook for ourselves. But what a wonderful week!

 

Quick background...DH (36), first cruise ever, and I (34), one cruise abuot 15 years ago on Carnival, went on this trip without our 3 young children to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Booked it looong ago back in August 2003 and waited a long time for it. Learned so much here on the board. Hope this review will help a future cruiser!

 

We took the NCL Bus service out of Providence RI to get to NY. $50 pp round trip, no hassle of driving ourselves, free parking for the week at the bus terminal, worked out really really well. We hit loads of traffic in NYC and were glad we were not driving! Got to the ship around 12:30/1:00pm, don't recall exactly.

 

Embarkation: Not bad, lines look long but move pretty quickly. Have your Bahamas card filled out so you aren't trying to do it while standing in line and juggling your carryons. When you are checking in you provide your credit card which will handle your shipboard account.

 

Upon entering the ship there were plenty of crew members to welcome and direct us to the elevators. We bought a frozen drink and a bucket of Coronas on our way to our room. We were in a BA cabin, 11618. I loved the location of this. Mid ship, close to the elevator and stairs so it was easy to get around. We had NO problems with any noise whatsoever. I won't describe the cabin as it has been done before. Plenty of room for 2 of us, very clean, room stewards did a great job and we LOVED our balcony!!!! We met our Room Steward the first day and never saw him again. He left us towel animals each night and got us the extra towels and bottle opener we requested (I left him a note on the bed the first night). We slept with our balcony door open every night and hearing the ocean was great. We only had one instance of being out there and smelling other people smoking. It really wasn't a problem for us. My DH would watch TV while I was getting ready for this or that and he loved that they showed tons of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "King of Queens", with no commercials!

 

Dining: (trying to think of the most effective way to do this review, I guess I will just do categories like this). Food quality I would place at Very Good to Excellent. Most of the items I had were Excellent. Some standouts to me:

 

*Any of the cold soups. If you think you aren't a cold soup fan, try it anyway. They are heavenly! Kiwi blueberry, Fire and Ice Melon, all divine!

 

*Creme Brulee on Sunday Night at Impressions. Could've had several!

 

*Entire meal at Le Bistro. I had the Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, Surf and Turf and the Fondue.

 

*Thai Chicken Salad, lunch on Thursday at the Venetian. Delicious!

 

*Singapore Rice at the Blue Lagoon. Wouldn't have tried it unless I had read the rave reviews here. Had it several times!

 

*Fish and Chips at the Pub. So delicious!

 

We ate at Impressions, Le Bistro, Salsa, Teppanyaki,Venetian,Blue Lagoon and Garden Buffet as well as the pool BBQ and the Bimini Bar and Grille (great fries!). My favorite was Le Bistro but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Impressions as well. A very close second.

 

Friday night was lobster night in the free restaurants. We were at the Venetian that night. They also had Filet on the menu. We ordered one of each and made up our own Surf and Turf plate. Very good!

 

Saturday night was Italian night in the free restaurants and that was the one night we were disappointed in the entrees. The appetizers, salads, desserts were excellent but the main courses left a lot to be desired. My DH had the Chicken Parmesan and the noodles were very hard and not cooked enough. I had the Veal Chop and maybe it was just me, just didn't like the taste of it.

 

For breakfast we went to the Garden Buffet most mornings and it was fine. Lots of variety. The waffle station was a better choice than the already made up pancakes and french toast. I found them to be on the cool side. There was a toast station and an omelet station too. Lots of things to choose from.

 

Lunches we tended to do either the Bimini for burgers/fries, pool BBQ or the buffet. We had one sit down lunch in the Venetian which was very very good.

 

I had always read that dinners took too long. We didn't seem to have this problem. There were just 2 of us. We never once had to wait for a table. We ate anywhere from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Our dinners tended to run 1 hr 15m to 1 hr 30m. To me that is not long for a nice dinner out. I didn't feel like we were left waiting between courses at all. It flowed very well. We always had appetizer, soup and/or salad, entree, coffee and dessert.

 

Service was fantastic! Very attentive, very friendly, very professional. Loved Paul from India, Felix from St Lucia and Daniel from the Philippines.

 

Entertainment: We saw a number of shows. We saw the Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bollywood (don't miss it!), Andrew and Seymour comedy, Dave Heenan comedy, Farewell show, Guest Talent Show and several of the games they do at night at the Spinnaker Lounge (Not So NewlyWed, etc). Very happy with the entertainment. Cruise Director and AD, Paul Baya and Mike (very loooong last name which escapes me) were great! Very funny, energetic, loved them! We attended a few sessions of trivia (won a beach ball and some playing cards) and really recommend the Movie Scene Trivia for you movie buffs! It is fun! Saw one film in the cinema, Along Came Polly, and that was fun but popcorn would've been a plus!

 

Pool: Was very worried about the seating situation before we left. Turned out to not be a problem for us. We are pretty early risers. We were out at the pool on sea days and the Miami day (we stayed on board) by 8:30am. No trouble getting a lounger exactly where we wanted to be. Very nice out by the pool, great music, fun games, good drinks and the great weather we had all week just added to it! People getting there later in the morning did seem to have to walk around looking for a chair, esp if they were a larger group.

 

Port Canaveral: We rented a car through Hertz. Again being early risers we had eaten and we were the 4th and 5th people in line to get off the ship. Got off, went right over to the Hertz shuttle (head to the right after you exit the pier) and we were off in our rental car by 9:30am. It was $58 total for our car (we did do the optional insurance) and that was cheaper and more convenient than doing the NCL bus. We spent the day at Epcot and it was fun, not too crowded. We went in the Single Rider lanes for the Mission Space and the Test Track. That cut down the wait time considerably, even better than doing Fast Pass if you don't mind not sitting with whoever you are with. DH and I got on the same time, just weren't in the same pod or car.

 

Miami: Stayed on board, nice day at the pool.

 

GSC: Again, we were in line early. Got #39 and #40 for tender tickets. First over, grabbed chairs and umbrella. I liked the snorkeling we did here. I didn't care for the close quarters and feeling like we were all on top of each other. I also didn't like the smoking. Kind of wish they had a smoking side of the beach and a non smoking one. Just ruins it when you are sitting out reading or whatnot, and your neighbors are smoking. You are so close that the smoke can get really strong. We moved seats at one point because it was just too much. Might make everyone happy if one side of the beach was smoking and one non. Just my 2 cents.

Side note: learned from our Dive In instructor that if you miss the last tender at GSC it is $3000 for a chartered sea plane to come get you. Apparently this has happened! Don't miss your tender!

 

Nassau: We did the Athol Island Snorkel. It was great! The Dive In Instructors were friendly, helpful and organized. We walked over to our boat. There were maybe 20 people on this excursion which was very nice. 40 minute boat ride out, 45-60 minutes of snorkeling time, and then the ride back. $39 per person well worth it. Saw tons of cool fish. Buy the fish food for $1 on the boat, you will be surrounded! And don't forget the underwater camera.

 

We got back from that at 11:30 and had 2 hours till we had to reboard. We walked through the straw market and some of the shops. We were offered lots of hair braiding and cuban cigars. We just didn't care much for Nassau (being in the shopping area)so we headed back onbard at 12:30pm. Just found it to be busy, on the dirty side and same thing one shop after another. Not being much of a shopper it held little appeal. We were docked next to a few other ships one being the Disney Wonder (I think it was the Wonder) and that was cool to see. It looks like a really nice ship.

 

Random thoughts: Loved the Dawn, it is so beautiful! Finally by the end of the week we had figured our way around. Can be confusing as it is sooooo huge!

 

Even with the ship close to being sold out I never felt crowded on board. Saw children but not a huge amount. No idea how many kids were on board this past week.

 

Did not enjoy any spa services though I bet it would have been nice. We did sit one night in the jacuzzi there with the loungers, very relaxing!

 

Spent some time in the casino and came out a little ahead which is nice! Love the game in the front by the cashier where you drop the quarters and try to push the other ones off the edge. Very addicting!

 

My DH met Doug Flutie who was on board. That was cool for him and all week we would have Doug sitings. Also heard from another passenger that Rosie O'Donnell's wife Kelly was onboard.

 

We were 2 hours late leaving PC on Tuesday night. The captain announced it was due to a medical emergency. We were on our balcony around 9/9:30ish and did see them bring on a stretcher and body bag and then did see them then take it off the ship. Not sure if it was a crew or a passenger who passed away or what happened but seeing it made us feel so terrible for them and their family.

 

I spent 7 years working at a Marriott hotel so I know a little about service and hospitality. What impressed me most on this trip was that not once did I feel like I was a burden or an inconvenience to a crew member. Every question, request or need that I presented was met and was done with a smile and a seemingly genuine concern for my trip! Really, I felt like these people really wanted me to have a great vacation! Not easy to find such real service these days. Some might have had other experiences but that was mine. I also know that I made conversations with my servers, asking them about their country (it is right on their nametag), about their day, etc. You get what you give and if you are pleasant to someone chances are they will be pleasant back. I was at the reception desk one morning and another woman was there asking about Miami. She then went on to complain about how instead of Creme Saver candies at the desk (and many of the restaurants as you exit) they should have peppermints. This was a real complaint for her. I later ran into her again. Again she was complaining about how long it was taking to tender in GSC and how disorganized NCL is. Someone like that is bound to have a sucky vacation if they have such a sucky attitude. Creme Savers vs Peppermints being a problem for your vacation? Get a life!

 

Maybe that is why we had such a good time. We went just appreciating that A. we were going, B. we were sitting by the pool and snorkeling instead of being home and working and C. we didn't have to cook or clean up after any of these meals! It's all in the attitude I think, or at least a lot of it. I know people do run into situations that are legitimate complaints and issues. However alot of times people also create mountains out of molehills.

 

Boy I think I am done rambling now! In a nutshell, hated to come home today, though I did want to see my kiddos again! Definately will book with NCL again. Freestyle just works for us and I can't imagine being tied down to a certain dining time, dress code, table mate (with my luck I would get the peppermint lady for my table mate!). Would sail the Dawn again as she is just a lovely ship!

 

All you future Dawn cruisers are in for a real treat!

 

Allyson

 

Till our 10th annivesary cruise without the kids!

 

[Tomct]

Great review, glad you enjoyed your cruise. We just booked our 3rd cruise on the Dawn, this one will be a 10 day to S. Caribbean, and our 1st balcony, Deck 10. I concur and relate to most of your comments, especially your mentioning of Felix. He was our waiter once in La Trattoria, and once in Venetian, I think! Such a friendly man, proud of his heritage, and I think he was fairly new to the Dawn and cruise work. I hope he is there in December. I saw that casino machine you mentioned, and watched some play there for a few minutes. Did you make any money on it? Any strategies? Maybe I'll try in next time.

 

Tom/Connecticut

 

 

[bragstarr]

Allyson, thanks for your lovely review, I am filing away some of your restaurant information. We waited till our 25th anniversary for our first cruise and as you can see from the signature, I am quickly remedying that! I was thrilled to see your positive attitude about going on a trip, so many people, like you say, complain about small, stupid things. SOome people definitely DO need an attitude adjustment! Glad you enjoyed; looking forward to my first freestyle experience!

 

Robin

 

Explorer of the Seas (Western Caribbean) 12/7/02

Serenade of the Seas (Canada) 9/25/03

Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas) 2/16/04

Norwegian Dawn (Bahamas) 2/20/05

 

Until we sail the Dawn!

 

 

[bragstarr]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bragstarr:

Allyson, thanks for your lovely review, I am filing away some of your restaurant information. We waited till our _25th anniversary_ for our first cruise and as you can see from the signature, I am quickly remedying that! I was thrilled to see your positive attitude about going on a trip, so many people, like you say, complain about small, stupid things. Some people definitely DO need an attitude adjustment! Glad you enjoyed; looking forward to my first freestyle experience!

 

Robin

 

Explorer of the Seas (Western Caribbean) 12/7/02

Serenade of the Seas (Canada) 9/25/03

Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas) 2/16/04

Norwegian Dawn (Bahamas) 2/20/05

 

Until we sail the Dawn!

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=006400&cdt=2005;2;20;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Explorer of the Seas (Western Caribbean) 12/7/02

Serenade of the Seas (Canada) 9/25/03

Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas) 2/16/04

Norwegian Dawn (Bahamas) 2/20/05

 

Until we sail the Dawn!

 

 

[bragstarr]

sorry, fixing double post

 

Explorer of the Seas (Western Caribbean) 12/7/02

Serenade of the Seas (Canada) 9/25/03

Majesty of the Seas (Bahamas) 2/16/04

Norwegian Dawn (Bahamas) 2/20/05

 

Until we sail the Dawn!

 

 

[dorothyl]

ALLY

 

That was a fantastic review.I made notes of some of your suggestions.I too will just be thankful for the time away with my H.I don't leave my kids easily so this 10 days(in NYC first)is a huge deal for me.

I almost did not book our Sept 19th Dawn cruise because of some really negative posts,but the good post outweighed the negatives.

Being from a tourist town where my teenage children work in the tourism business and I have long come to realize that some people will complain about anything and nothing will make them happy.

We are in a mini-suite and I will not cook for 10 days and I will see the Bahamas.I hate to fly to the point of almost obsession so this is the only way I will get there.If it is as great as it sounds next year we will bring our kids(6-20yrs old.To all the cruisers who post advice and trip reviews THANK-YOU.

[Want2Cruise]

Thank you for your detailed review. I am glad you had a great time.

 

We will be traveling with our son on June 13th. Nice kidergarten graduation present for him. LOL Like you said it all depends on your attitude.

 

We are very interested how the freestyle dining works for us. I think it will work out good. Our last cruise we got seated with people at least 30 to 40 years older then us. They sat there complaining about eating at the late seating. The next night we went to our table and we were the only ones there, but we got new table mates that were nice and we had more in common with. They left there table since they didn't like the people they were sitting with. At the end it worked out.

 

Dawn - June 13, 2004

[big dee]

Also just returned from cruising on the Dawn. We agree with many of your assessments about the boat being beautiful and clean, and I was able to find my way around pretty quickly. It was also our first cruise, and we were lucky, or smart enough, to have booked a balcony room which added tremendously to our enjoyment. Our biggest complaint concerned the pool area- unless you arrived first thing in the morning it was impossible to get a seat. Too many people cover the chairs with towels and then just hold seats for the entire day, while there is almost no one in the pool. If you wanted to eat from the poolside BBQ you risked walking around forever holding a tray full of food with no where to sit. The same problem usually occurred at lunchtime in the Garden Buffet. The food at the BBQ was great, with an excellent variety of side dishes, if you could find a place to sit and enjoy it. We ate at the Venetian (excellent), Aqua (excellent), Cagneys (worth the price for the service and ambience, but the filet mignon at the Venetian was actually better), Salsa (excellent if you like spicy food), and La Trattoria, which was a disappointment. Go there only if you want a simple pasta meal. As for the surf and turf at the Venetian for the farewell dinner. It wasn't necessary to order two different entrees and split them. We simply ordered the filet mignon with the lobster tails on the side- the meal was outstanding. The Blue Lagoon, which is open 24 hours is a great place to pick up a quick snack, the wings, fish and chips, and chili were great. Service was uniformly excellent. Best excursion was the day at Great Stirrup Cay- very relaxing and the water was wonderful. The trip on the tender was just part of the fun. Took the B and B excursion to South Beach (beautiful) and the Bayside Mall (same stores as any New Jersey mall except that it's on the water). Walked off the boat to Nassau. The shopping district is too crowded, commercial and touristy. Walked off the beaten path for a while and enjoyed some of the historic buildings but I probably would have seen more with a tour. People on the island were friendly and helpful. While the Bollywood show on the ship was enjoyable, the shows are pretty cheesy and often filled with gratuitous "tricks" and gymnastics. We barely stepped foot in the casino, but players who were winning seemed to enjoy it. We loved being able to choose what times we wanted to eat and where (though the reservation restaurants often filled quickly at the popular times). Best part of the whole cruise was simply relaxing and enjoying the great service. PS- we got to the boat by having a daughter drop us off at the Port Imperial Ferry which we took across to Manhattan and then walked (with our luggage) to the pier, and then reversed it going home. Unless it's very hot, this method is very do-able and avoids driving in the city and high parking charges.

[shirleygr]

Thank you for taking the time to post a review. Counting down the days (we have a LONG way to go), but it's fun reading about your experiences and I always appreciate tips and advice.

 

Shirley

cruising-courtesy-kindness

 

3-Night Anniversary Cruise on Majesty of the Seas . . . January 7, 2005

 

Family spring break cruise on the Dawn . . . April 17, 2005

 

NCL Majesty 11/98

CCL Ecstasy 1/01

CCL Fascination 11/01

CCL Fascination 4/03

RCI Majesty of the Seas 8/03

CCL Imagination 12/03

CCL Fascination 5/04

[Jennygirl]

Thank you for a wonderful review. I actually felt like one of my friends was telling me about her adventure. Good writing!!

We'll be sailing July l8th with a group of 8. As this is our 4th cruise but first with NCL you outlined it nicely for us.

Thanks again.

Jen

 

[crispmom]

Hello Ally,

 

Great review. My family and I are thinking about the Dawn for next spring, however whenever I call and inquire (twice) about leaving our car at the bus terminal they say it is not allowed. Did you actually have permission from Bonanza? thanks for your help.

[ally10169]

CrispMom,

I emailed Bonanza and heard nothing. Then I called the number on their website for the Providence Terminal and spoke to a person there who told me it was okay to leave the car, plenty of parking and no charge. She was right. It is a very large lot and the car was fine there for the week.

 

Bigdee,

Glad you had a great cruise too, wasn't the weather the best! For the Surf and Turf we didn't order one of each and share. We each ordered the filet and lobster. When he brought them out we put the filet on the plate with the lobster tails and he took away the extra veggies and such that we didn't want. So yummy!

 

Allyson

 

Till our 10th annivesary cruise without the kids!

 

[crispmom]

Hello again Ally,

 

Thanks for the quick reply. When I mentioned to the folks at Bonanza that we would be taking the bus through NCL this is when they said the lot was for Bonanza passengers only. Also, how was the bus.Condition, etc.

Thanks

[sasisu]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jennygirl:

Thank you for a wonderful review. I actually felt like one of my friends was telling me about her adventure. Good writing!!

We'll be sailing July l8th with a group of 8.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Jennygirl, I am another Staten Islander on the Dawn July 18th. First time cruising for my husband and I.

 

 

[CaroleV]

we are booked in 11612, 2 doors away from you & it looks like closer to the stairs. Is our room right in front of stairs & elevator. My husband is having a fit because we wanted your room but it was taken. How do you think the noise will be from our room. Is there a larger overhang over our room. We don't want the sun blasting on us all day thats why we picked that location.

Thanks.

[marilynd]

Thanks for the great review !!!

 

I loved that you wrote so much about the food in the restaurants each night. My daughters and I are on the Dawn this Sunday YES !!! Your review is helpful in picking out which days to book the alternative restaurants.

 

NCL Sun 4/02 - Carnival Elation 6/02 - NCL Norway 8/02

NCL Dawn 6/03 - RCI Monarch 1/04 - NCL Dawn 6/04

 

 

 

[jtcruise]

How was Dave Heenan? We saw him a couple of times on NCL ships and really enjoyed him but I heard he was out of work for a while recovering from an accident.

[ally10169]

Tom,

That game is fun but I don't know if anyone will win too big on it! The people next to us said they were up $50 but I think they had been there for hours! I just liked it because it had a little strategy to it and instead of just hitting "spin" like on a slot, you could make your quarters last longer trying to aim it. Not as mindless as slots and your roll of quarters will last longer for a little more fun! My DH and I are not big gamblers. We would each get a roll of quarters and see how we did. One day on his last quarter he won $125 and that was very exciting for us!

 

Crispmom-The bus was fine. It has a bathroom on board (hold on, if you go while the bus is in motion it is a wild ride in there!). Not very spacious but overhead compartments to store small carry ons. There are tv screens and on the way back they showed a movie which was nice and passed the time. Not sure why they didn't on the way down. Bus was clean. I would definately go that route again, taking the bus.

 

CaroleV--

I know exactly where your room is. When you come off the 11th deck mid ship elevator and take a left your room is the one right there. Ours would be down the hall a few rooms to the left. I don't think you will have much noise honestly. On the 11th deck the only people really using that elevator are the ones with the rooms nearby. There aren't any other places for people to go that would make that a busy elevator spot, know what I mean? The spa is at the other end so folks going to and from would likely be using that elevater bank. I don't think you will have a problem. I loved being right there. Just go up the stairs and you are at the Garden Buffet. I would go up in the morning and bring coffee down for us and it was quick and easy!

 

jtcruise--

We liked Dave Heenan. He does have his leg in some sort of air cast I guess it is. He was limping around but we saw him perform 3 different times and he was very funny.

 

Marilynd--

 

Have a great cruise! We went to specialty restaurants for dinner on Mon (Le Bistro), Wed (Salsa) and Thu (Teppanyaki). If I were to do it again I would move one of those to Saturday night. We just didn't care for that last Italian night in the free restaurants.

 

Allyson

 

Till our 10th annivesary cruise without the kids!

 

[johnql]

Thanks for the great review. Makes me want to book another Dawn cruise!

[kanitster]

We too were on the 5/23-5/30 cruise and loved every minute of it. Who wouldn't? You were pampered from the time you stepped on unil the time you left. Our favorite place to dine was La Bistro. It was such a memorable meal. I forget what it was called but it was the main dish with 3 kinds of meats that they set a flame at tableside. It was delicious. All the crew on board were so nice. They couldn't do enough for you, and always with a smile. Loved the way most of the woman crew members called you "darling". My DH thought this was amusing because I tend to call everyone "hun". Loved all the shows. My DH loves family fued and was chosen to be one of the "family" members on stage. We had an AF balcony room. What a pleasure that was. I would set my alarm so we could get up for the sunrises, they were gorgeous. We did learn our lesson about getting to the oasis pool early to get a seat. The first time there we were too late so ended up at the casino instead...lost $200 in no time at all..lol. That was it for my gambling! We stayed on board for all ports except the private island. That was a fun time. Still, after a week on board we never saw the entire ship!! It was a beautiful ship though. So clean. We drove in to NY and parked in the lot there. We had no problems at all. When the cruise was over I waited with the bags outside of terminal and my DH went to get the car. I only waited a couple of minutes...if that. It went very quickly. I thought with ship week there it would have been a nightmare but it wasn't at all. If I had one complaint at all it would be that I didn't care for the buffet food at the Garden Cafe. But with so many other choices of places to eat I wouldn't really consider it a problem at all. The ribs at the barbeque poolside were great! We loved eating at the Venetian too. It is a beautiful dining room. The cruise is something I'll never forget and can't wait till the next.

 

 

 

Tammie

NCL Dawn 5/23/04

[kr64]

kanitster, can you confirm what the price was to park in NY for the week? We leave on July 4th, and are trying to decide if we will drive in, or take a car service.

 

Glad you had a great trip - I just booked our excursions today, and we are all getting very excited!

[mikey1210]

Hey KR16,

Parking in new yourk will run you about 178.00 for the week.

[kanitster]

kr64,

We paid $168.00. Loved the fact that we just got in our own car and took off. We went to NYC the night before and walked around time square. I couldn't believe how bright it was at night with all the lights. It looked like daytime..lol. We will be driving in again for our next cruise also. Loved the convenience of it. Your gonna have a great time on the Dawn!!

 

 

 

Tammie

NCL Dawn 5/23/04