Norwegian Dawn just got off the ship

[NJcruiser21]

I'm with you on that one. We stayed in our cabin until the last minute--read, stood out on the balcony looking at NY, napped, I even took a bath!:)

 

They're going to have to knock down the door to my cabin and force me off that ship!

[nycglitter]

Paging Mr. Bedazzled. Mr. Bedazzled, your friends are waiting for you to leave the ship. They say they have chicken parm and a brand new full length mirror if you leave now.:D

[NJcruiser21]

Did i hear chicken parm???? I'M THERE!

[nycglitter]

Lol!:)

[judyf]

I agree why does everyone want to rush off. Only time I ever wanted to get off at a decent time was in 2004 we arrived in Tampa on Easter Sunday and not wanting to spend the holiday in an airport and on a plane we rented a car and drove to WDW and spent the day in Magic Kingdom. It was great. I'm a big kid, so I should fit right in with our group!

 

Keep me on the ship as long as I can stay I'm there.

[nycglitter]

Judy, I am with you. Never understand the rush to end vacation. We are big kids too, so we'll all have a blast!

[judyf]

I'm so ready to have a blast.

 

I need to drag myself away from these reviews and get outside! I don't want to miss anything!

[seastar2]

suprised you were allowed to stay in your cabins.most lines want you out so they can turn the cabins around...how would you feel if your cabin wasn't ready went you boarded because the disembarking passager decide to shower before leaving the ship????

 

I know NYC is a hassle but the crew has to get done in the same abount of time wheater NY or Ft. Lauderdale.

[NJcruiser21]

suprised you were allowed to stay in your cabins.most lines want you out so they can turn the cabins around...how would you feel if your cabin wasn't ready went you boarded because the disembarking passager decide to shower before leaving the ship????

 

I know NYC is a hassle but the crew has to get done in the same abount of time wheater NY or Ft. Lauderdale.

 

That's part of why NCL is such a great cruiseline. We are not hoarded into a room to wait with 2000 other passengers. We can relax, have a drink, watch tv, take a shower, whatever we want..in OUR rooms.

 

As for the room not being ready, passengers are off by a certain time..leaving time to clean up for the next passengers. When we say "last off the ship" we mean last off within the reasonable time limit. And why shouldn't I be able to shower while I wait in my room if I want...I did pay for the room.

 

I see you have never cruised with NCL..if you have, maybe you would understand the disembarking process and why it seems better than other cruiselines' policy.

[greenie]

That's part of why NCL is such a great cruiseline. We are not hoarded into a room to wait with 2000 other passengers. We can relax, have a drink, watch tv, take a shower, whatever we want..in OUR rooms.

 

As for the room not being ready, passengers are off by a certain time..leaving time to clean up for the next passengers. When we say "last off the ship" we mean last off within the reasonable time limit. And why shouldn't I be able to shower while I wait in my room if I want...I did pay for the room.

 

I see you have never cruised with NCL..if you have, maybe you would understand the disembarking process and why it seems better than other cruiselines' policy.

 

Absolutely. Not only did I mess up the bathroom by taking a bath, we messed up the bed by taking a nap! (Oh, get yer minds outta the gutter--we DID nap.) :)

 

You leave your cabin about an hour and a half after docking, to go wherever you meet, within 30 minutes you are out. They have a minimum of 1 1/2 hours to clean the cabins. They do it in way less time than that, trust me, and they do it VERY well. You won't ever know anyone else was in there earlier (I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but I'm betting only a very few.)

 

LOL, Tim! Hey, BTW--there was a full-length mirror in our suite ... perhaps it was the one MEANT FOR YOU. *cackle cackle*

[1cruise4us]

That's part of why NCL is such a great cruiseline. We are not hoarded into a room to wait with 2000 other passengers. We can relax, have a drink, watch tv, take a shower, whatever we want..in OUR rooms.

 

I see you have never cruised with NCL..if you have, maybe you would understand the disembarking process and why it seems better than other cruiselines' policy.

 

NJcruiser21, I know this is going to be your first cruise so how can you compare NCL to other cruiselines? Personally I felt a little creepy because we were allowed back in the room after the stewards cleaned it to take a nap, shower, use the bathroom, etc. I doubt they went back to clean it again.

 

I felt good knowing we were the first cruise out of drydock.

 

Just my opinion.

[mike442]

My first time on the Norwegian Dawn. Wonderful vacation. Everything was perfect (almost), even the storm. The sea was rough the last day and the winds were fearful. The captain finally announced that he was not going to fight it all anymore and cut the engines. It was a bit unsettling when all was quiet. I think it had a lot to do with what he did in the previous cruise involving the storm and he decided to play it safe and, as he said "ride it out" instead of plowing through.

 

Some thoughts about the voyage....Service was wonderful in the restaurants and at reception, but if you had a specific question that needed some interaction or decision making, the language barrior was evident. All of the staff were prepared to converse in simplicity, but once you needed some details, they could not answer, just repeat their answer.

 

Also, giving the fact that all passengers had paid substantially to sail, it would have been a nice gesture to provide bottles of water free of charge when we disembarked for the shore excursions! No one would dare embark on a tropical locale without proper hydration.

 

The disembarkation procedure was a joke. Our color was orange,which was the last, and we decided to go down to deck 7 at about three levels before our color was called to make sure we were ready. When we started down the stairs, we were greeted by a staff member who told us to go down to 6 and not to worry about the colors because they were not checking them. So, this is a word to the wise on future sailings, get down there as soon as you can, because they don't check colors of tags. Also, someone should instruct passengers on the procedure to get a longshoreman to bring a cart. We stood there for a while, one in our party in a wheelchair, before we realized that we had to stand on a line to get a longshoreman.

 

And, even though I had a lot to say about disembarkation, the embarkation procedure was tedious and long, three hours, not a perfect first impression for a vacation that advertised as stress free.

 

Although the thrill of departing and arriving in New York harbor was exciting, it is easier and more comforting to embark from Miami, where the seas are kinder.

but the airflights might not be, and can also be pretty hectic.

[judyf]

I've got to say the other cruise lines are getting better with this. We were allowed to stay in our cabin on the Legend in March. I like to get out on deck and watch everything.

 

Thanks for all the info.

[NJcruiser21]

NJcruiser21, I know this is going to be your first cruise so how can you compare NCL to other cruiselines? Personally I felt a little creepy because we were allowed back in the room after the stewards cleaned it to take a nap, shower, use the bathroom, etc. I doubt they went back to clean it again.

 

I felt good knowing we were the first cruise out of drydock.

 

Just my opinion.

 

True, I actuallly thought that while I was typing the response. It's just like how I feel about traditional dining. Have I ever done it? No, but from what I read it entails I don't like it. I don't want to be rushed coming in from port to go to dinner if I'm not hungry or not ready, etc. Will I try traditional? Of course! As you can see I'm booked in Dec of 06 on a Carnival cruise. I guess once I try "both" I can fully compare, like you said.

 

Yes, I haven't cruised 'freestyle' but from what I read, I think it's great. I expect the flaws and problems, but oh well..it's a cruise..much rather be there then here.

 

With my "OCD" nature, I'm bringing lysol wipes and lysol disinfectant spray for the reason you mentioned..and if they did come back and clean it, I feel MUCH better knowing I cleaned. :rolleyes: It's just like a hotel room...are you ever confident it was properly cleaned?

 

But, with regards to how you felt 'creepy,' I've said it so many times...that's why people love cruising (not to feel creepy LOL), but because there are so many options out there for people. If you don't like one line or style, you can choose another.

 

Happy cruising and thanks for the insight,

 

Tim

 

 

LOL, Tim! Hey, BTW--there was a full-length mirror in our suite ... perhaps it was the one MEANT FOR YOU. *cackle cackle*

 

Hmmm If I don't have one in my boiler room of a cabin (LOL ;) ), then I'll be sure to bug the AA suite guests and use theirs. If they give me weird looks I'll say "greenie told me you had one!!" I sure hope those guests are as nice as you!

[ts01854]

nj

 

The sawx stink but I hope your cruise is as good as you anticipate. It's hard to live up to they hype sometimes. Actually I think you will like Carnival better too, lot more people your age. The dawn is more family oriented. Go Yanks

[judyf]

nj

 

The sawx stink but I hope your cruise is as good as you anticipate. It's hard to live up to they hype sometimes. Actually I think you will like Carnival better too, lot more people your age. The dawn is more family oriented. Go Yanks

 

Most of the time I would agree with you, one reason we like Carnival and I'm not as young as Tim, just like to act young and do fun things. Our first NCL cruise my mother was young at 66, LOL We had fun but not like on our CCL cruises.

 

With saying that I think from our roll call that our cruise is going to have a mixed age group and a really fun bunch. I also thouht sailing from NYC might have a younger fun group also, but what do I know. I make my own fun, no matter what ship I'm on.

[NJcruiser21]

nj

 

The sawx stink but I hope your cruise is as good as you anticipate. It's hard to live up to they hype sometimes. Actually I think you will like Carnival better too, lot more people your age. The dawn is more family oriented. Go Yanks

 

I'm not even gonna go there with the sox. One word: below .500. :cool:

 

My friend asked me the same thing yesterday (are you ready if this cruise isn't perfect) and i'm a 'don't sweat the small stuff' kinda guy. I expect things to go wrong and not be perfect and I'm ready for whatever good, bad, whatever comes my way. I take it in stride and remember..hey i'm on vacation..who cares if my toilet has to be fixed or we're delayed an hour or whatever. so yeah...I'm ready for whatever comes my way. :D

 

And for carinval vs. ncl - I make my own fun so I'm not really concerned with family oriented or anything. I'm really going on this cruise to relax and just take it easy for a week (while having fun of course).

 

You'll get to hear a full report when I get back. :D

[Cosmopolitan]

Most of the time I would agree with you, one reason we like Carnival and I'm not as young as Tim, just like to act young and do fun things. Our first NCL cruise my mother was young at 66, LOL We had fun but not like on our CCL cruises.

 

With saying that I think from our roll call that our cruise is going to have a mixed age group and a really fun bunch. I also thouht sailing from NYC might have a younger fun group also, but what do I know. I make my own fun, no matter what ship I'm on.

 

I think we had a mixed age group last week. Young, old and in-between. We did not have many children (that I saw).

We did hear that the week before, they had 1200 kids on board and it was rather crazy. One waiter told us that the older passengers were all saying "those kids should be on a Disney cruise" lol

I think alot of it depends on the time of year that you cruise.

I don't think the age really mattered. In the end. most people are all relaxed and having fun on the ship.

Hey, some of those old-timers could surely drink me under the table. Their legs didn't move too fast but their elbows sure did. :)

[ts01854]

I'm not even gonna go there with the sox. One word: below .500. :cool:

 

My friend asked me the same thing yesterday (are you ready if this cruise isn't perfect) and i'm a 'don't sweat the small stuff' kinda guy. I expect things to go wrong and not be perfect and I'm ready for whatever good, bad, whatever comes my way. I take it in stride and remember..hey i'm on vacation..who cares if my toilet has to be fixed or we're delayed an hour or whatever. so yeah...I'm ready for whatever comes my way. :D

 

And for carinval vs. ncl - I make my own fun so I'm not really concerned with family oriented or anything. I'm really going on this cruise to relax and just take it easy for a week (while having fun of course).

 

You'll get to hear a full report when I get back. :D

 

 

I'll look forward to your report by then the Yanks should be past the Sawx.

1 piece of advice for you, buy the helmets of beer you get 1 free

[NJcruiser21]

I'll look forward to your report by then the Yanks should be past the Sawx.

1 piece of advice for you, buy the helmets of beer you get 1 free

 

Thanks for the tip..I wrote that one down.

 

The yanks should be more worried with stayin ahead of Tampa Bay. :eek:

[judyf]

Cosmo, I did read those reviews about all the kids. I always cruise during Easter Break at our district so kids don't bother me.

 

Our last NCL cruise was also during Easter week so I was surprised that there wasn't a younger crowd, but it was a 14 day cruise so that's why. I go with the flow no matter what comes up or happens.

[ILov2cruise]

Any other port, and I'll agree.

 

In NY, if you don't get out early, you meet everyone coming in at the same time getting ready for the next cruise. Both the arrivals and departures have to pass through the same second level, and it can get REAL ugly.:eek:

 

 

Maybe it wouldn t get so ugly if people came at the time NCL told them and not 3 hours early.

[nycglitter]

My friend asked me the same thing yesterday (are you ready if this cruise isn't perfect) and i'm a 'don't sweat the small stuff' kinda guy. I expect things to go wrong and not be perfect and I'm ready for whatever good, bad, whatever comes my way. I take it in stride and remember..hey i'm on vacation..who cares if my toilet has to be fixed or we're delayed an hour or whatever. so yeah...I'm ready for whatever comes my way.

 

Tim - Are you kidding? This cruise is going to rock! (Hopefully not too literally - LOL):D This group is going to be fun! I saw tons of people in their 20's and 30's last year! Our group is mixed and everyone seems like they will be a blast!

 

I have done Carnival twice and was left unimpressed. I don't think I will cruise them again. I enjoyed my vacations, but you get what you pay for. I found the Dawn to be fun, and had tons of great people relaxing and loving their vacations! Can't wait!!!!

 

Marit

[cindysmile]

Okay, okay, I take it all back, well maybe some of it. I wrote my message on Sunday night, exhausted from disembarking, finding our ride, driving back home on the Belt.

 

It is a beautiful ship, and one of our problems was our TA who assured us that our forward cabin assignment would be upgraded onboard. Forward cabins are not the best in rough weather.

 

I do agree with other posters that there was not much to do, unless you want to learn how to fold napkins,etc.

 

We found the food to be wonderful and the restaurant staff courteous and helpful. They are mostly kids, after all, and really gave us a lot of attention.

Many of the head waiters took the time to stop by at each table to talk. They were very free with their personal stories, which were very interesting, especially that they signed on for ten months, with two months off.

 

Of course I agree about the price and weakness of the drinks, especially the specials for 6.95. But the price of a regular drink, I thought, was reasonable at 4.50. However, whenever I encountered someone who had a bit too much, which was not often, I thought that this person had just won the lotto to be able to afford that level of buzz.

 

The duty free shop was, yes, retail, retail. But go to any gift shop in a NYC hotel and the Advil will be $10! 7-11 gets you the same way - it's called convenience.

 

With the rough seas, I assume several people had accidents, but I saw no evidence of it in the public areas, just wet floor signs and a dryer going. That was not my experience on other ships experiencing bad weather.

 

In the dining rooms, we were fascinated by the staff. Everyone was constantly moving and serving. You never saw anyone standing still. Kudos to the staff, they have to turn around dining areas, cabins, etc. in record time.

 

I know the automatic tipping procedure will assure that everyone gets a gratuity, but it does not reward excellent service in the dining rooms, because you have a different server at each meal. They rotate from room to room, so if someone is really good, you can't reward them unless you tip by the meal. I will know better next time.

 

Our cabin staff were very patient with us, especially since we forgot to put the make up the room sign often, but we never had a problem with them. We did tip them at the end of the voyage because they were a constant throughout the trip. I wanted to seek out some of the waiters, but could not find them.

 

I would sail on the Dawn again, but with the knowledge from our first trip, I will be more prepared.

[nycglitter]

Sounds fair enough CindySmile!