A review: Norwegian Dawn, June 13-20

[dpg9300]

Thank you for your review, we are leaving on the Dawn Aug. 1st and are mid-ship on the 10th floor. How did you hear the music from the White Hot party, I always make sure we have rooms above, below and to the side. LOL I hope the music doesn't travel that far down to our room. So sorry it kept you all awake, at least you got a nice dinner and hopefully it didn't happen again. I agree Bermuda is the most beautiful island we have even been too and can't wait to see it again!!! Glad you enjoyed your cruise and Happy Sailing!!!

 

 

That's me, too! I always make a point of booking a stateroom that is completely surrounded by other rooms. We were in 10091, which is an inside. Maybe that makes a difference? I remember asking hubby "How are we hearing that, and why is no one on deck 11 complaining if it's that loud down here?!" But we heard music from there on two different nights. If you're very sensitive to sound and not a night owl, you might pack ear plugs or a sound machine. At least you won't have the decking noise :)

[dpg9300]

Thank you for your review. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the CD staff at the parties.

 

For me, the NCL dance parties have been consistently the best of the six main stream cruise lines I have sailed with. At the dances, they have encouraged passengers including kids to get up and dance with them. Even at a drizzly sail away from NYC on Jewel, they were getting people to enjoy the fun.

 

Disney is the 7th cruise line I've been on and to me it is in a category by itself so I don't consider it main stream. Perhaps a Disney Cruise is something you might consider. There is a lot of kids and family interaction on board.

 

I can't say we had a bad experience, because we aren't really interested in being a part of the parties. We like to sit on the sidelines and watch the festivities. It's just that what we saw this time was so different from what we've seen before that I thought it was worth mentioning, as it seems that positive crew interaction is important to a lot of people here.

Edited June 24, 2014 by dpg9300

[dpg9300]

We were on the June 13 sailing with you and I can agree with your review almost completely, right down to the under cooked fettuccine.

 

Sorry to hear that! But thanks for the validation ;)

 

I thought it was so odd, like getting badly cooked rice at an Asian restaurant. Actually, though, I think rice is harder to get right than pasta. We had an early reservation, so maybe they just weren't quite ready for us and were trying to rush the order out. No matter, I was glad we weren't paying for it. I don't think it's on my to-do list for the future. I'd like to try Le Bistro one of these days, though!

[JPV072900]

Uh oh!! My room is right below the pool... Does this mean I won't be sleeping when there is a late night party on the pool deck????? How late do these parties go???

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

[max405]

Hi, where thier any good things on your trip Penny? Max

[dpg9300]

Uh oh!! My room is right below the pool... Does this mean I won't be sleeping when there is a late night party on the pool deck????? How late do these parties go???

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

 

I hope not, but we were directly under the pool, too. I forgot that when I called to book, I didn't get the room I requested (the one I'd researched). I got one that seemed to be in a better position, but now when I look at the deck plans I see a lot of white space above our room, which on deck 12 shows as the pool. Duh. Next time I'll make the agent wait while I check the location of the "upgrade" they're offering! No wonder it was louder to us than those on deck 11 - the water probably carried the sound right down to us.

 

The parties were over by 1-1:30a. Hope that doesn't ruin your schedule! Maybe there's still time to make a change? However, the music wasn't disruptive to our sleep. It was no louder than hallway noise that carries in at night. It was the deck work that kept us up. Unless you're very sensitive to sounds at night, it may not be a bother at all.

Edited June 25, 2014 by dpg9300

[dpg9300]

Hi, where thier any good things on your trip Penny? Max

 

Yes. Boston, Bermuda, most of the food and shows...if you're interested, I think I mentioned these things in my review.

[daddy_bunce]

Sorry to hear that! But thanks for the validation ;)

 

I thought it was so odd, like getting badly cooked rice at an Asian restaurant. Actually, though, I think rice is harder to get right than pasta. We had an early reservation, so maybe they just weren't quite ready for us and were trying to rush the order out. No matter, I was glad we weren't paying for it. I don't think it's on my to-do list for the future. I'd like to try Le Bistro one of these days, though!

 

 

 

Unfortunately we paid for it, no worries though when we are on a cruise we don't let anything get us down. We have eaten at the Le Bistro a couple of times over the years and have enjoyed the meal but memory from La Cucina from the last cruise was one of the best meals we have ever had on a cruise so we opted to go there again.

 

With the observations that you noted and I agree with them I still wouldn't hesitate to take the exact same cruise over again, we didn't have the pool noise above us though (that would have sucked).

 

BTW our vacations were very similar. Midwestern families traveling in early to check out Boston ahead of time and Niagara Falls on the way home.

[fairygirl1]

Im curious abt your comment re "wild ride on the bus" to horseshoe bay beach....crazy scary or fun? we were on a bus on St Thomas that was downright dangerous (one actually crashed) and I perfer to know in advance....thx for the review. we are cruising on the dawn this august to bermuda!!:):)

[dpg9300]

Im curious abt your comment re "wild ride on the bus" to horseshoe bay beach....crazy scary or fun? we were on a bus on St Thomas that was downright dangerous (one actually crashed) and I perfer to know in advance....thx for the review. we are cruising on the dawn this august to bermuda!!:):)

 

A little of both (crazy scary and fun!). The driver knew what he was doing, but the roads are quite narrow, so the wall was thisclose to the side of the bus, as was oncoming traffic. The bus driver was often exceeding the speed limit by at least twice. We didn't feel that we were in danger, but I sure wouldn't stick my hand out a window in this place! They sell T-shirts that read "I survived the bus to Horseshoe Bay Beach!" if that tells you anything!:D Enjoy your cruise!

[dpg9300]

Unfortunately we paid for it, no worries though when we are on a cruise we don't let anything get us down. We have eaten at the Le Bistro a couple of times over the years and have enjoyed the meal but memory from La Cucina from the last cruise was one of the best meals we have ever had on a cruise so we opted to go there again.

 

With the observations that you noted and I agree with them I still wouldn't hesitate to take the exact same cruise over again, we didn't have the pool noise above us though (that would have sucked).

 

BTW our vacations were very similar. Midwestern families traveling in early to check out Boston ahead of time and Niagara Falls on the way home.

 

That's funny! I wonder if we crossed paths anywhere?

 

I would take the trip again, as well. We enjoyed it quite a bit, it was just different from our other cruises. On our last cruise, a gentleman from Africa was joking that it was "too much luxury for me!," so that's a standing joke in our family now, but we didn't feel that this was "too much luxury." It was enough, but not too much.:)

[dpg9300]

Here's what the 10-year-old remembers about Bermuda:

 

 

Here's what I remember about Bermuda:

 

 

 

[dpg9300]

St. Peters Church is over 400 years old:

 

 

Even the walk back to the Ferry Terminal was pretty:

 

 

I loved the color of the water:

 

 

[dpg9300]

Public transportation was never so enjoyable!

 

 

 

 

Everything was clean and colorful and pretty:

 

[KateQ22003]

Im curious abt your comment re "wild ride on the bus" to horseshoe bay beach....crazy scary or fun? we were on a bus on St Thomas that was downright dangerous (one actually crashed) and I perfer to know in advance....thx for the review. we are cruising on the dawn this august to bermuda!!:):)

 

The first time I rode the pink bus to Horseshoe will be the last time I ever ride the pink bus! I was terrified and was so nauseated I thought I wouldn't make it. It felt like we were careening into space on a roller coaster! We were going way too fast, and the roads are very curvy and narrow. I was totally green by the time we stopped. Never again!

[dpg9300]

He was offering walking tours of St. George:

 

 

I don't know what they are, but I really liked these:

 

 

This is the tour we took in the evening:

 

 

This is the inside of the ferry; quite a bit roomier than expected:

 

[dpg9300]

The first time I rode the pink bus to Horseshoe will be the last time I ever ride the pink bus! I was terrified and was so nauseated I thought I wouldn't make it. It felt like we were careening into space on a roller coaster! We were going way too fast, and the roads are very curvy and narrow. I was totally green by the time we stopped. Never again!

 

 

Well, that's a bummer! We actually thought it was kind of fun. But we've spent a lot of time in DC cabs, so not much fazes us. Except the time our bus almost fell off the side of a mountain in the Rockies...but that's a different trip :)

[jethrojam]

Hi there, Thanks for a great review. My family and I will be going next year and are really only interested in the evening glass bottom cruise as our excursion as well - Thanks to CC we will be doing more self guided bus/ferry/walking tours. But I feel like the glass bottom cruise is a unique experience that even the nonswimmers in my family will enjoy. So my question is, which company actually charters the tour, and did it appear to be sold out via the excursions, or could you just buy day of? I just don't want to handcuff that to one night or the other. And if you had a price that you remembered?

Thanks

[dpg9300]

Hi there, Thanks for a great review. My family and I will be going next year and are really only interested in the evening glass bottom cruise as our excursion as well - Thanks to CC we will be doing more self guided bus/ferry/walking tours. But I feel like the glass bottom cruise is a unique experience that even the nonswimmers in my family will enjoy. So my question is, which company actually charters the tour, and did it appear to be sold out via the excursions, or could you just buy day of? I just don't want to handcuff that to one night or the other. And if you had a price that you remembered?

Thanks

 

I know that it was still listed as available while we were on the ship, but otherwise, I'm not sure how late you could book or if you could even book directly through the tour provider. The boat was fairly full, but there were a few empty seats, I think. It was a very short walk from the ship to the dock, and I believe that Fantasea Bermuda might have been the tour operator. We paid $150-ish for two adults and one child. It was a fun and low-key way to spend our first evening in Bermuda. I hope you get to see the fireworms when you go - SO cool!

[jethrojam]

I know that it was still listed as available while we were on the ship, but otherwise, I'm not sure how late you could book or if you could even book directly through the tour provider. The boat was fairly full, but there were a few empty seats, I think. It was a very short walk from the ship to the dock, and I believe that Fantasea Bermuda might have been the tour operator. We paid $150-ish for two adults and one child. It was a fun and low-key way to spend our first evening in Bermuda. I hope you get to see the fireworms when you go - SO cool!

 

Thanks for the quick reply, I hope so too :)

[Hikini]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review!

[fairygirl1]

Thx for the answers,,,, sounds crazy! Can I walk to the beaches,,?:

[pris993]

An introduction:

 

 

I see people occasionally ask "why post a review here" instead of in the “Review” section. For me, I prefer to post where others can ask questions or make comments. I like to hear what others have to say, too.

 

We are a family of three (hubby, me, and 10-year-old daughter) from the US Midwest. We sailed on the Dawn from 6/13-20 with a couple of days of sightseeing in Boston before the cruise and an evening in Niagara Falls after. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer. :) Here’s what I remember:

 

First, we stayed at the Embassy Suites, Logan Airport. I reserved through stay123. I won’t use either again. I used Trinity before and I think I’ll stick with them in the future. I reserved a 2-bed room. When I checked in, we were given a king. I showed the clerk my reservation for a double, and she blamed stay123. I contacted stay123 and they blamed Embassy Suites. Normally, I would take what I get and shut up – life is too short to fuss about everything that goes a little off-plan. However, there were three of us, so I REALLY wanted that other bed. I was told there were no doubles available and nothing they could do, so one of us slept on a bad sofa bed (cigarette burns in the cushions was just the beginning – yuck) in a tiny hotel room that faced out on a dirty, loud construction site. Some of that is not the hotel’s fault, of course, but it was an unpleasant stay and the front desk staffers just had an “I don’t care” attitude. I don’t think that trying to receive the room-type we reserved is really asking them to go above and beyond, but they let me know that they really didn’t want to be bothered. So they have their wish – I will never bother them again. The breakfast was very nice and the shuttle drivers were great, but not enough to make up for the rest.

 

Boston! Now that’s another story. We loved Boston! Such a cool city (literally, too, it was a little chillier than we expected). Lots of fun stuff to do, lots of good seafood, lots of colorful personality and lots of neat history. We really enjoyed the part of our stay that happened outside of our hotel. We chose the Old Town Trolley to get around and found it to be a very good deal for the price. We had dinner at the Union Oyster House, which was fun, and the clam chowder and lobster roll were fantastic!

 

We decided to take the Silver Line to the terminal to save a few dollars. Besides the hotel choice, this was dumbest thing I did the whole trip. Having lived in DC for years, public transportation is usually pretty easy for us to navigate, but the whole “free Silver Line to the Port” thing just did not work out for us. First, it wasn’t free. It was $2.50/person. Not a fortune, but also not worth it. The bus was packed, there was no easy way to carry large luggage on and off, and the drivers did not give us good information about where to go. I have a feeling there might be a way to do it for free, but our driver dropped us (and yes, we told her where we were headed) at a stop where we’d have to pay. We took a cab back after the trip, and it cost only $15 more than the bus. SO worth it!

 

Really appreciate your feedback on the Embassy Suites at Boston Airport. We have been considering it since we are Hilton Honors members, had decided to go with the Marriott LongWharf even if more expensiv, to be in the city and really enjoy Boston. Do think the ES really missed the boat so to speak. We had a terrible night sleep at the Embassy Suites in FT Lauderdale because they put us in a room at the back of the building, the airconditioning unit kept us awake, we were also across from an elevator where young people were very noisey, being excited about going on a cruise. The following morning we mention this experience during check out (mind you we have stay many times at this hotel in the past), the front desk did not charge us for are room. We were surprised, did not expect this response.

[dpg9300]

Thx for the answers,,,, sounds crazy! Can I walk to the beaches,,?:

 

You can walk to this beach:

 

 

 

Or you can take a taxi to this beach :)

 

 

[dpg9300]

Really appreciate your feedback on the Embassy Suites at Boston Airport. We have been considering it since we are Hilton Honors members, had decided to go with the Marriott LongWharf even if more expensiv, to be in the city and really enjoy Boston. Do think the ES really missed the boat so to speak. We had a terrible night sleep at the Embassy Suites in FT Lauderdale because they put us in a room at the back of the building, the airconditioning unit kept us awake, we were also across from an elevator where young people were very noisey, being excited about going on a cruise. The following morning we mention this experience during check out (mind you we have stay many times at this hotel in the past), the front desk did not charge us for are room. We were surprised, did not expect this response.

 

I'm glad you had a different experience with your front desk staff. We are also HH members, and have stayed at a few Embassy Suites. This was the worst of any we've stayed at. As a matter of fact, the few Hampton Inns we've visited were nicer than this place. It looked good on paper, and the extras (pool, breakfast, shuttle) were nice, but the basics were sadly lacking.

 

We have definitely decided to stay "in town" the next time we visit Boston. That seems to be the advice from locals over on the East Coast forum - I should have listened!

 

For anyone already committed to staying there, the good news is the T station is a very short walk from the front door, and will get you quickly to the good stuff. (Also forgot to mention that the hotel shuttle will deliver you to the T station.)

Edited June 27, 2014 by dpg9300