My diary and review of the "Dawn" (01-12-14)

[tspeck63]

First off I must state that I had a suite with VIP perks that not everyone gets, so my review may be slanted a little. I cannot speak for what everyone else's experience might had been only our own.

 

SAIL DATE - Sunday January 12, 2014

PORT - Tampa

PASSENGERS - Myself (50), Son (30), Son (28), Son (17)

SUITE - Family suite with a balcony (#12520) Port side front of the ship

EXPERIENCE - Our first cruise ever

 

SUNDAY

We arrived at the port parking garage around 12:15pm and was very concerned about the time it was going to take to get on the ship. Dropped our luggage off (They would not take our case of water, we had to carry it on) and proceeded to security which moved very quickly, maybe 10 minuets to get through security. Next we went to check in, Suites have their own line. We whisked through that and then were escorted to a VIP lounge set up in the terminal. Had a sandwich and a drink and were introduced to our concierge. after a few minuets we were escorted to our suite. From the time we parked to we were in our suite was about 30 - 40 mins. The ship started to move about 5:00 and we were on our way. We met our Butler "Jennifer" and our Room Steward "Denji" More on them later.

 

MONDAY (At Sea - Weather was overcast and only in the 70s)

My sons and I spent the day getting familiar with the ship and where everything was. Had breakfast at Cagney's (very good), Lunch at the buffet (typical buffet food) and room service for dinner. Went to see the "Second City" comedy show (Very good). Found out as VIPs we don't need reservations, one balcony is already reserved for VIP and you only have to show them your card.

 

TUESDAY (Honduras - Weather was overcast and still only in the 70s)

Has room service for breakfast (awesome) as VIPs we could order anything we wanted. Our excursion for this day was the day at a private island called "Fantasy Island". We were met at the dock and driven to the island by a native who spoke very good English. She told us a lot about the country and was very informative. Fantasy Island was very beautiful and the sun even came out for a little bit. The water was very cold but we did get to snorkel for a couple hours. There is a small hotel on this island with free wifi in the lobby so that was also nice to check in back at home. But if you go to Fantasy Island take from bug spray, we forgot ours on the ship and got bit up pretty good. we were taken back to the dock where we shopped a little before boarding. Had dinner at the buffet. Take away from the day. I was amazed at how poor the people of Honduras are, most live in very small one room run down houses with no electricity or running water. It makes you appreciate what we have.

 

WEDNESDAY (Belize - Weather was overcast with a threat of rain and still only in the low 70s)

Our excursion for this day was "Cave Tubing". AS it was every day VIPs got off the ship first so once we met our excursion people we had to sit around and wait for everyone to get off. Cave tubing is very popular and there were many people doing it so they broke us up into groups of 10 people and put us in vans with a guide. Ours was "Magic Mike" and he without a doubt was the best tour guide I have ever had in my 50 years of life. we had an hour drive to the park the caves are in and he had us all laughing so much during the trip it only seemed like 10 minuets had gone by. Once at the park we hiked (easy walking) for maybe 30-35 mins through the rain forest to the entrance of the cave stopping many times along the way for Magic Mike to tell us stories or to explain what we were looking at. The float was ok but only lasted maybe 20 minuets. Towards the end of our float it started to rain very hard and the temp dropped even more, everyone was about froze. Once back at the park we changed clothes and Magic Mike had a native lunch set up for us. It was very good and we all got back in the van for our hour drive back to the dock. If I were to rate this excursion on a scale of 1-10 (Without Magic Mike) I would only give it a 5. Two hours of drive time and 1-1/2 hours of hiking time was a lot for a 20 min float. (With Magic Mike) I would give it am 8.5. Belize is an English speaking country but again it is very very poor once you get away from the dock. Ate dinner at the buffet and went to a show to see Tim Kominski. Tim was great and had us laughing our butts off.

 

THURSDAY (Costa Maya, Mexico - Weather sunshine finally but still not hot maybe 75)

I woke up with a bad sore throat but was determined to push on. Our excursion this day was we rented four wheelers (ATVs). They have a very nice tourist area set up at the dock. BRING YOU BATHING SUITS AND TOWELS. They have a free pool there with sun chairs set up free of charge. Most of the bars around the pool had an open bar package you could buy for $35 to drink all day. The boys and I had a great time on the ATVs and on the way back the guide took us to a small private (native) beach with had a bar selling $1 Coronas. We did some shopping afterwards and then got back on the ship. My oldest son won a $1000 on a slot machine this night. I wasn't feeling well and went to bed as the boys went to the "White Hot Party".

 

FRIDAY (Cozumel, Mexico - Weather sunshine and still in the 70s)

Woke up with a nasty head cold but again I pushed myself. We had no excursion planned for this day. We just wanted to walk around, sightsee and maybe go to the beach. after walking a little while I quickly realized I was too sick to do all this walking and we happened to pass a place renting scooters, we struck a deal for four scooters all day for $110 total. ($180 with all the insurances and taxes). The guys at the rental place recommended we drive around to the back side of the island to a place were there was a public beach, bar and restaurant and not a lot of tourist go there. We did this and had a great time. The boys swam while I laid on a beach chair still sick. The scooters were fun and we got them up to about 90 kph (50 mph). We drove the whole way around the island and so a lot that most tourist don't see. I strongly recommend do this. Back at the dock the Jewel was parked beside the Dawn and they had a dock party going on... it was a lot of fun. That evening we went to see a different "Second City" Improv show which was ok but not as good as their first show.

 

SATURDAY (At sea - Weather sun and clouds but warmer when the sun was out)

My birthday (turned 51). Still sick with a head cold and spent a lot of the day in bed but the boys went to the pool and laid out a lot. Lunch at Cagneys and dinner at the Buffet. Our Butler and our Room Steward each brought me a small birthday cake. That evening we went to an adults only comedy show that was like an adult scavenger hunt. I forget the name of the show but it was so funny and probably the best show of the whole week. But be warned it is for ADULTS and can get lewd.

 

SUNDAY (Docking back in Tampa)

Again being VIP we got Priority luggage tags and choose to sit them out the night before. We disembarks right after the non US citizens did at 8:50. By 9:15 we were at our car and loading our stuff up.

 

Again I know many of you reading this will not have suites but I can only comment on what my experience was.

 

Jennifer our butler was wonderful, I would see get four or five times a day and twice a day she would stop in and bring us a snack, little sandwiches and chips, sometimes small cupcakes or chocolate treats. We brought our own soda and water and after she cleaned our refrigerator out she stocked it with our stuff. It took us about a day to realize our refrigerator wasn't working correctly. We called her and she told us there really wasn't much she could do for us. Bummed us out a few minutes later she shows up with a big cooler full of ice. Every day she made sure our cooler was fully stocked and full of ice. She very carefully explained everything to us about what was happening that day on the ship and answered ever question we had. She couldn't had been better. I tipped her $150 at the end of the cruise.

 

Denji our Room Steward was just as great as Jennifer was, Anything we needed he was Johnny on the spot with it. Made us towel figures on our bed everyday and clean up after us. Although his tip is included in the service fee I had prepaid, we tipped him $50 at the end.

 

FOOD - We didn't eat at any of the specialty restaurants except breakfast and lunch at Cagney's which was exceptional, so I can't really comment on any of them. Breakfast at the buffet was very good and better than most buffets I've been to in the states. Lunch and dinner at the buffet was just that.... a buffet nothing to write home about but they did change it around a lot and gave us a lot of options. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE FOOD - 8

 

DRINKS - we aren't huge drinkers but all the mixed drinks I got were very good. expensive but good. On my birthday I bought a few shots of Jack Daniels $8 per shot but they were big shots (probably a triple shot) ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE DRINKS - 8

ROOM - We had a penthouse suite on the 12th deck. I changed rooms about a month before we left because I noticed this room was available for only $100 more and it had a balcony and the one I booked didn't. Best $100 I ever spent. I'm not sure if I would ever cruise without a balcony now. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE ROOM - 9.5 (broken refrigerator and the sliding door to the balcony would not close tightly and whistled)

 

SHOWS - I would say the ship was only at 75% capacity and of those people 75% were 65 or older. So naturally a lot of the shows were geared towards the older people. We passed on a lot of the shows because of this. However the ones we did see were great. The boys struggled to find entertainment that suited them, they instead spent a lot of time in the hot tubs, casino, video game room, basketball court or playing card games in our suite. My rating is of the shows we saw. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE SHOWS - 9

 

SERVICE - I cannot say enough about the service of everyone onboard it was over the top and quick. As an engineer, I was at awe at how smoothly everything went and how everything was coordinated. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE SERVICE - 10

 

SHIP - I was taken aback by the size of the ship when I first saw it, it is immense and has just about everything you could need. Lots of open spaces and I never really felt compacted. Everything was very clean and it was not noisy. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE SHIP - 9

 

EXCURSIONS - I did not book any of our excursion through NCL, I booked them all through ISLAND MARKETING LTD. In all cases it was cheaper and in most cases we got extra stuff that the NCL excursions didn't offer. I strongly recommend this company.

 

OVERALL - Being sick aside we had a great time, My 17 year old, who has always been the little brother to my other boys is 6'-2" and passed as an adult all week. He was able to have a beer with his big brothers and go to the casino with them. Instead of the little brother be felt like their equal for a week. My sons had a great time which means I did. ON A SCALL OF 1 TO 10 I'LL GIVE THE CRUISE - 9

 

I have a ton of photos I haven't uploaded yet but will shortly. If you want to see a photo of our suite or something else send me a PM with your email address and I'll send them to you.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have.

[Purplehaze21]

TY for the review! Its nice to see a good one. I am excited now because our turn

is coming up!! :D Glad you and your boys had a great time, minus

being sick.

[KCinBAMA]

Thanks for the great review. We will be sailing soon and will also have a Family Suite, however, it will be without the balcony.

[albertamom]

Thank you so very, very much for the wonderfully detailed review! We will be in a suite, as well (in March), so your VIP details were greatly appreciated!

 

I loved hearing about what a wonderful time you had with your boys. Our kids are 14 and 16 and we love traveling with them. My dream is that when they are adults, they will still want to spend that special time with us! :)

 

Sounds like, although this was your first cruise, it definitely will not be your last! :D

[russianmom]

So happy you had such a nice time with your boys (sickness and weather aside)

 

Did you buy a FCC? Are you planning another cruise?? :D

[garycarla]

Great, well balanced review.

 

We are heading out soon and will be in a 2BR suite. Looking forward to getting back into a suite this time.

[tspeck63]

Thanks for the great review. We will be sailing soon and will also have a Family Suite, however, it will be without the balcony.

 

Don't worry about not having a balcony it will not ruin your trip. The Family suite are very nice with lots of room. Ours slept six even though there were only four of us I felt it best to get this one because of our size. I am 6'-5" 300 pounds and I felt like there was plenty of room. There was a king sized bed, a sofa bed and a hid-away Murphy bed. We choose to not use the murphy bed so we wouldn't have to put it up and away everyday. You'll love your suite and the perks that come with it.

[tspeck63]

Thank you so very, very much for the wonderfully detailed review! We will be in a suite, as well (in March), so your VIP details were greatly appreciated!

 

I loved hearing about what a wonderful time you had with your boys. Our kids are 14 and 16 and we love traveling with them. My dream is that when they are adults, they will still want to spend that special time with us! :)

 

Sounds like, although this was your first cruise, it definitely will not be your last! :D

 

Favorite perks = first on and off the ship, no reservations required at the shows, breakfast and lunch at Cagney's, anything you want from room service any time and of course having a butler

[tspeck63]

So happy you had such a nice time with your boys (sickness and weather aside)

 

Did you buy a FCC? Are you planning another cruise?? :D

 

We talked about it but decided for our family vacation next year to rent a beach house in Key West so wives and my grand daughters could join us. However rest assured I will cruise again.

[mrs.cool]

We're doing this trip next week. I have a question about tubing in Belize. I read elsewhere the river is really high, fast and a little scary. Was that your experience? also, they say to bring extra clothes, and you mentioned changing..where do you leave your clothes while you're tubing? In the van? Or...???

[tspeck63]

We're doing this trip next week. I have a question about tubing in Belize. I read elsewhere the river is really high, fast and a little scary. Was that your experience? also, they say to bring extra clothes, and you mentioned changing..where do you leave your clothes while you're tubing? In the van? Or...???

 

No not my experience, this was not scary at all, in fact there are times you have to lift your but or you'll hit it on rocks. Other times our guide had to pull us. On a 1-10 scary meter this is a 2. They will lock all of your stuff up in the van and when you come back you'll want to put dry clothes on for your hour drive back to the dock so YES bring a change of clothes. They have a "changing" building there for you to change in.

[lemonade-sails]

Loved your review! Thanks!

[LegallyBlonder]

Thank you for the review- we are heading to a Garden Villa on Dawn in June, and can't wait! P.S. I'm praying that my three sons will still want to cruise with me in their 20s and 30s- you're a lucky guy!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Love my butler]

Interesting read. I didn't see the concierge mentioned. Who was it and how were they?

[tspeck63]

Interesting read. I didn't see the concierge mentioned. Who was it and how were they?

 

I was introduced to my concierge at the VIP lounge in the terminal on sunday when we left Tampa. NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN until we were in the Spinnaker Lounge on following Sunday waiting to get off the ship. He did nothing for us and I couldn't even tell you his name.

[ksimpso3]

Thank you for the review- we are heading to a Garden Villa on Dawn in June, and can't wait! P.S. I'm praying that my three sons will still want to cruise with me in their 20s and 30s- you're a lucky guy!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

You will love the garden villa!! We were in it in January of last year (see my review in my signature). I can assure you that you will be treated like royalty in that suite! Everywhere you go the crew onboard will know who you are and call you by name. It was awesome! If you are bringing your 3 sons with you on this trip I will bet they will sail with you in their 20s & 30s...but they may only want the garden villa ;)

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Forums mobile app

[Love my butler]

I was introduced to my concierge at the VIP lounge in the terminal on sunday when we left Tampa. NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN until we were in the Spinnaker Lounge on following Sunday waiting to get off the ship. He did nothing for us and I couldn't even tell you his name.

 

Sorry to hear that. When we are in a suite it's usually a three person effort to make us feel extra special. The concierge, the butler and the room steward. Maybe if you needed him for something the relationship would have taken a different turn.

[hateswaterloves2cruise]

We were on the dawn last sept to Bermuda from Boston. If you had the same Jennifer as a butler that we did, she was great. Best one we've ever had. Our concierge was virginia so obviously she's moved on.

[Demonyte]

Thank you for your extensive review, I have few questions and comments though:

 

It seems that you didn't eat any dinners in the included MDRs (the Venetian in aft or the Aqua in midship), was there some specific reason for that?

 

About the entertainment: I haven't seen or heard that they'd adjust the entertainment (at least the theatre shows) cruise by cruise based on passengers - it's what it is, older demographic or not. Too bad that you felt like it was geared more towards them.

 

And a small nitpicking (hope nobody minds ;)): You were not VIPs, "just" suite passengers that get the perks because of the cabin class. VIPs get some or all suite perks (somebody said that there are several different levels of VIPs) and can be cruising in any cabin onboard - like NCL company guests, regular passengers getting the attention from Hotel Director for one reason or another, etc - VIP status is always granted to someone personally, suite passengers get the perks automatically.

 

It's not a big deal but there actually is a difference - a suite passenger has pretty much all the perks that highest VIPs get (of course there can be even more but that's what people here have reported after getting VIP status) but not all VIPs get what suite passengers have. :)

[Love my butler]

Been both a VIP and a suite guest. It really is just a matter of semantics. People don't say 'I felt like a suite guest!' They usually say 'I felt like a VIP!'

 

When I am in a suite I truly feel like I am a VIP and am treated as a VIP. I would venture to guess every officer on the ship would also label and treat me as 'VIP'.

 

Technically I guess you could say a suite guest is a VVIP.

[tspeck63]

Thank you for your extensive review, I have few questions and comments though:

 

It seems that you didn't eat any dinners in the included MDRs (the Venetian in aft or the Aqua in midship), was there some specific reason for that?

 

About the entertainment: I haven't seen or heard that they'd adjust the entertainment (at least the theatre shows) cruise by cruise based on passengers - it's what it is, older demographic or not. Too bad that you felt like it was geared more towards them.

 

And a small nitpicking (hope nobody minds ;)): You were not VIPs, "just" suite passengers that get the perks because of the cabin class. VIPs get some or all suite perks (somebody said that there are several different levels of VIPs) and can be cruising in any cabin onboard - like NCL company guests, regular passengers getting the attention from Hotel Director for one reason or another, etc - VIP status is always granted to someone personally, suite passengers get the perks automatically.

 

It's not a big deal but there actually is a difference - a suite passenger has pretty much all the perks that highest VIPs get (of course there can be even more but that's what people here have reported after getting VIP status) but not all VIPs get what suite passengers have. :)

 

We were on the go a lot or preferred to play games in our room, so we did not waste a lot of time eating. When we did, it was a quick bite at the buffet or Cagney's or room service. Eating was not the highlight of our trip, we can do that at home. We were more focused to doing stuff together since we are all together maybe once a year. Standing in line or waiting to get served at a restaurants were not attractive to us.

 

As for the VIP I only referred to that because that's what our Butler called everything all week. We were even escorted through the terminal by a woman holding a sing above her head with "VIP" on it. That was very embarrassing. Jennifer would say "you don't need reservation's for the show, there is a VIP reserved for you" or "You guys are VIPs for a week live it up" and things like that. I apologize for using the wrong terminology.

[LegallyBlonder]

You will love the garden villa!! We were in it in January of last year (see my review in my signature). I can assure you that you will be treated like royalty in that suite! Everywhere you go the crew onboard will know who you are and call you by name. It was awesome! If you are bringing your 3 sons with you on this trip I will bet they will sail with you in their 20s & 30s...but they may only want the garden villa ;)

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you for pointing to your review- I have no idea how I missed it originally! Great review and photos! We were in Gem's 14500 last January, but I heard that the Dawn is even better- we can't wait!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Demonyte]

I apologize for using the wrong terminology.

 

No need to apologize but as you stated that you are a newbie cruiser (at least on NCL), I just thought that for future reference it's worth pointing out that there is indeed a difference. :)

 

On the other hand, I can totally understand the butler using the term "VIP" a lot - the better they make you feel, the better their tip is going to be (usually). :D

Edited January 22, 2014 by Demonyte

[Skuds]

Thanks for the complete review. I have concerns about your excursion company and am pleased that you gave them a good review.

[Patt0Butter]

Thanks for all the details. We will be in 12520 in a month for the repo cruise to Boston. We have been in this room before - different butler. Happy to hear service is still so great. I'm sure the fridge has been fixed!