NCL Dawn cruise disappointing ..

[DaisyGoldberg]

I did a 2 week cruise in 12008 last year and loved it - seems like it needs some TLC before my mom takes it again in May. Hopefully your specific issues will be addressed accordingly.

 

I was across the way in 12506 in September and that suite didn't have any maintenance issues I was aware of. So not all the suites have gone to wrack and ruin!

[OceanDreaming2]

I did a 2 week cruise in 12008 last year and loved it - seems like it needs some TLC before my mom takes it again in May. Hopefully your specific issues will be addressed accordingly.

 

I was across the way in 12506 in September and that suite didn't have any maintenance issues I was aware of. So not all the suites have gone to wrack and ruin!

 

We have had 3 SJ family suites and they have all had the leaking shower door issue. This time 12008 was the worst with missing grout and lifting tile.

[OceanDreaming2]

I just got off of the CTN on the Dawn yesterday...that was both my first and LAST NCL cruise!

 

If it had been my first ever cruise ...I would have never cruised again ;)

 

You really can't compare a CTN with a regular 7, 10 or 14 day cruise.

 

Give NCL another chance.

[HokiePoq]

FormularRacer

I think the Hotel Director Alain Magnier is the main problem on Dawn !!

 

The crew is not happy with him , I heard him yell at crew members more than once .

 

I sail the Dawn a lot and Alain is not good for NCL .

 

Don't know Alain but agree that the hotel director is the key person on a ship. If morale is low, performance is low and all suffer.

We were on the sister ship Star with the best hotel director we've ever cruised with...Tony Winkler...and felt like royalty in an inside cabin.

Had a great bargain cruise a couple of years ago on the Dawn with no problems in an inside cabin.

Sure hope these issues are addressed. No one should pay for a suite and have maintenance issues.

[bosnatis]

We stayed in 12026 in April and it was awesome.

[CanadaTraveller]

Good feedback to Norwegian including pictures. I think it is great for people to notice and give feedback, as often staff are focussed on the tasks for cleaning and don't see what a passenger would. It would be great if all staff did, but some just don't. I am one of those people that notice it, but put it aside because it feels like work if it means following up with managers. So, I appreciate when someone does. Based on you and your wife's comments, it sounds like you are big NCL fans and only want it to be better. Thanks for helping to make it that way with your perseverance.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[monkeybone]

Thanks for the honest review. Sorry the Dawn and staff was not up to par.

 

What a shame, I have been on the Dawn 5 times before they added more cabins.

 

Pure greed on NCL's part.......Just read all the reviews on this site and others.

 

They had a great ship. The staff was handleing well, the food was hot and good and it was hit or miss for a lounge chair by the pool. Those days are gone. NCL is trying to pack too many people into their ships that don't have enough public spaces or pools. Service and food are lacking over the years.

 

After all the bad reviews I would never sail her again :(

[dalgirl]

Our first NCL cruise was on the Dawn and we loved it - well maintained, etc. But that was 2007. We always saw some form of maintenance going on - I was very impressed at how well they kept the ship looking and that along with freestyle sold me on the NCL brand.

 

We are now Platinum and love the NCL product, but if I had paid the kind of money that OP paid and got a suite that looked like that, I would have been very upset. I am surprised that no one from management checked in with OP to see how the cruise was going (this happens a lot of time to us). Perhaps they don't want to hear any more complaints. Hopefully those monitoring these boards will take a second look at the problem.

 

It is a real shame as this was a lovely ship.

[BeeBeeCee]

I can't imagine a situation where I would have to "endure" a 7 days cruise. We were on the Dawn a few years ago without power or propulsion floating around the caribbean like a cork fora day and a half, no air conditioning, no flushing toilets, etc. Even that we had a great time overall and made the best of it.

 

Well...then it's evident that you experienced a different crew with better morale. I could have overlooked the food if the staff had even been cordial. With the exception of a few, they all looked and personified a bitter unhappy attitude and it spilled over onto the passengers.

 

The last few years, I've spent most of my vacations at WDW or on CCL ...nothing is ever truly disappointing when it is accompanied with a good attitude...they make this happen 😊

 

Oh...and this was my opinion of my experience, pure and simple!

[sebas030]

Hi,

 

I was on the Dawn 4 weeks ago,

 

I had a interior stateroom on the 9th deck. When we got to our room we had not hot water in the sink or the shower...only air bubbles mixed with lukewarm water...let it run for 5 minutes...nothing. It was fixed rapidly after I went to the guest service desk.

 

We were blessed to be invited to experience sailaway from Boston in a DOS on the 12th deck. This suite was large and very very very nice...but it does need maintenance ( windows where dirty between the 2 panes, the tint in the lower windows had some bubbles, and there was rust running down on the wall from the upper windows ).

 

The ship NEEDS major refurbishing. I witnessed the broken elevator arrows, broken buttons in many elevators, not working public bathrooms ( 3 or 4 ) for all the trip, the chairs in Gatsby's are all missing pieces, etc...

 

Many many lights not working in the pool area, many items missing to make some martini's, etc...

 

I met with Alain Magnier and he was great with us, he made sure we were ok every time we saw each other on the ship, he sent us surprises in our room and treated us to a free dinner at the restaurant of our choice.

 

Mr Kevin Sheehan was on the ship on our last day in Bermuda, we were sitting in Gatsby's just before sailaway and he, someone I did not recognize and Alain Magnier went by us, Mr Sheehan noticed I was looking at him so he said "hello" and went on and entered La Cucina. They were there 3 minutes and then went in Le Bistro.

 

I would not be surprised if he was there to witness the condition of the ship and maybe confirm the shape it is in... From talking to a few crew members we know he met with a lot of staff also while on the ship. He left the ship before we sailed away.

 

Sooooooo many things were in need of repairs on the ship, I know those are visible to all staff, crew, passengers and officers, so I think it's not a problem with wanting to fix the problem, but a problem with being authorized to do so....if Ncl knows there are heading into a costly refurbish soon, maybe they don't want to spend $$ on temporary fixes.

[DaisyGoldberg]

That's so odd - I was on the Dawn 2 months ago and didn't have elevator problems, or see restrooms out of commission, or signs of anything but normal wear and tear. Hard to believe things have gone that far to hell in 8 weeks.

 

I hope that if these are not anomalies to individual rooms or certain sailings, that they get their act back together, because in September things were fine (for us).

[Am I Really Doing This?]

We were also on the October 24th sailing on the Dawn and I have to agree, it was decidedly lackluster. I didn't notice too many maintenance problems in our cabin but public bathrooms were out a LOT and friends of ours were without water and their bathroom for an 8 hour stretch at one point (the whole floor was out I think).

 

We still had a good time because we were with friends and, honestly, I don't expect a luxury experience with cruising. But the food and service everywhere except the specialty restaurants was Applebees level quality. Decidedly blah. Nothing I would consider, "good". The service I was more surprised by...how not good it was. Super slow in the MDRs, not friendly at all, and didn't follow any of the "good service" rules such as not clearing your plate until everyone was done, etc. The specialty restaurants were definitely all a notch up in both food and service. Still not really gourmet (Le Bistro possibly the exception there), but good food.

 

Again, we had a great time because we didn't go in expecting the Ritz and we were with a bunch of friends. But I absolutely support what the OP has said in terms of the Dawn not being run all that well at the moment.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I just got off of the CTN on the Dawn yesterday...that was both my first and LAST NCL cruise!

 

If it had been my first ever cruise ...I would have never cruised again ;)

 

Why?

[Barb Nahoumi]

I just got off of the CTN on the Dawn yesterday...that was both my first and LAST NCL cruise!

 

If it had been my first ever cruise ...I would have never cruised again ;)

 

Why? You can't judge the entire line by one older ship.

[FormulaRacer]

Great comments overall. Hopefully NCL will visit this thread to make improvements for the passengers and the benefit of future passengers, and NCLH.

Edited November 26, 2014 by FormulaRacer

[DrFootball]

Although this is very Sad to hear, we escaped "Carnival" for NCL in 2008, and Cruises in 08, 09, and 11 were all top notch. Here is to hoping they fix the problems soon....

 

 

Retired from solving other People's Problems

CWO-4 US Army Retired/Medical

NSDQ!!!

[aussie cruzer]

We just got off the Dawn on the Bermuda and repo run for 21 days....I would agree about the negative comments about this ship.

 

The captain leaves a lot to be desired,after two cruise critic meet and greets with him,we didn't bother attending any of his cocktail party's.

 

He looked like he wasn't interested at all.......we were in the Garden Villa on the first cruise down to Bermuda and the SJ to Nola.

 

I found Alain the hotel director friendly and welcoming.

 

We gave up eating in the restaurants,spent the most nights in the Garden Café,some of the officers would drop by and inquire as to why we were there every night.

 

We were sick of the long wait to take our order and then even longer to get your meal,the staff seem overworked.

 

The cost cutting even was evident in the Garden Villa,very little perks at all and you had to ask for them......One day I asked the butler for 2 cans of soda and was told the garden villa stores didn't have any and he would have to go to a bar to get some.....Two hours later they arrived after I had to call Virginia the concierge.

 

Not a big request I would of thought as unlimited sodas is part of the GV perks.......the butler didn't introduce himself at all to us on embarkation and we had to go looking for him around 5 pm.

 

Had a great room steward Mario who was outstanding,but the butler was second rate.

 

Virginia the concierge was very good and visible.

[NH Cruisers]

I tried to quote Aussie Cruzer's post, wouln't let me.

 

The Consierge is the Butlers boss. She (Virginia) should have asked if he was living up to your expectations. Our conseirge last cruise John d'Souza did ask us and made sure everything was great. John had a good Butler in Akmed. They were a great team. Made our cruise unforgetable.

Edited November 26, 2014 by NH Cruisers

[pokerpro5]

Can someone who has been on both the Sun and Dawn compare the condition of the two?

 

I noticed the Sun's age, but overall the experience was good and the maintenance crew was quick and efficient.

 

Sounds like the Dawn is not running as smoothly, despite being around the same age.

 

I am planning to cruise the Dawn in Sept so I very interested in such a comparison.

[Barb Nahoumi]

If the recent poor reviews of the Dawn are due to cut-backs, NCL should rethink them.

 

Yes, a reduction of staff, maintenance, and other perks will help the bottom line, BUT will reflect poorly on the guests who might not return. They, in turn, will tell their friends, write negative posts on Cruise Critic or other cruise news letters, and that will cast a dim light on NCL.

 

Understaffing will effect the crew's attitude. They might not be overly friendly or cheerful if they are over worked. Quite evident in the dining rooms, when they have more tables to wait on with less help.

 

If an older ship needs dry dock, do it. Guests might think-----"If the public bathrooms or other areas are in bad shape, how good are the engines."

 

To the poster who didnt want to bother to leave a comment card, maybe you should have. They are read. Always let your thoughts be known, good or bad.

 

To the OP, send a letter with your pictures to Kevin Sheehan. Pictures are woth a thousand words, and he might get the ball rolling with the needed fix-ups.

 

Just my thoughts.

[OceanDreaming2]

Can someone who has been on both the Sun and Dawn compare the condition of the two?

 

I noticed the Sun's age, but overall the experience was good and the maintenance crew was quick and efficient.

 

Sounds like the Dawn is not running as smoothly, despite being around the same age.

 

I am planning to cruise the Dawn in Sept so I very interested in such a comparison.

 

We were on the Sun in February and the Dawn in November. I'd say the maintenance of the two ships is comparable. Both are long overdue for a drydock.

 

I'd choose the Dawn over the Sun just because it's somewhat newer and larger.

[Va. Plumber]

I was on the !0/24 Dawn cruise in SJ 12010. Saw no condition problems in the suite. Must have missed that elevator and I don't spend my vacation looking for deficiencies.

 

We sailed the Dawn a couple of months before last drydock. There were buckets scattered around for the dripping pipes. Some of the problems just can't be fixed during an 8 hour turnaround. I did hear of a case where a water line broke and flooded a cabin.

 

As to problems in public restrooms, you will have problems whether on land or sea. Take a few thousand people, many of them drunk, and the plumbing will take a hit. As my name would indicate, I am a plumber.

Try keeping up with a college fraternity house after a big weekend.

 

I did notice that during dinner each night there were staff personnel roaming the various dining rooms asking questions cabin numbers and taking notes. I had not experienced this on previous NCL cruises. Seemed to me they were trying to be pro-active.

 

Had a problem with sink drain which was fixed. HVAC was difficult to control at times.

 

Ate breakfast in Cagneys six mornings. Never had a problem with service.

 

All in all, great trip.

[Barb Nahoumi]

We're looking forward to a great cruise to Bermuda sometime next summer. It will probably be on the Dawn, since it leaves from Boston.

 

Hopefully all the kinks will be fixed by then.

[Urban trekker]

According to staff the Dawn isn't due it's next major drydock until 2016 - the only problem I had on the 21 days - Bermuda and repo was the safe not working but it was fixed a couple hours after embarkation.

 

As for food - any meal that I don't cook is better than anything I cook at home.

 

I ate in La Cucina, Moderno and Aqua and found nothing wrong with either the service or the food. Where I did find a major problem was the Blue Lagoon - simply put if it was a restaurant in a competitive marketplace it would be out of business - service was slow and with one or two exceptions most of the staff disinterested.

 

As for Alain - no problem with him - he helped me out last year with some missing laundry and seeing him out in the rain handing out towels was a nice jester.

 

I thought the entertainment was excellent - it is a hell of a lot better than Princess.

 

Dingo Dave may be the best cruise director I have ever sailed.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Barb Nahoumi]

Hi Dennis,

 

I am happy to read a more positive review of the Dawn, because we plan to be on it next summer.

 

We have sailed the Dawn a few times, including one repo between Tampa and Boston in 2013. All in all things were very good.

 

You are right about Blue Lagoon, not only on the Dawn, but other ships as well. I wonder if they use it as a training ground for inexperienced crew. I found the service to be slow, and food just so so.

 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and all future cruises.