NCL Dawn on the HAL Forum......

[erewhon]

Welcome home.

You were brave to cruise solo.

Thank you for taking time to review your cruise.

Did you feel that your Penthouse Suite was the same size as the Neptune Suites? The bathroom sounds better than the Neptune.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

[Ricktan]

Thank you for sharing Sail! I was really hopeful that you would have a great cruise! Looking forward to hearing more.......

[Caribbean Chris]

Your review is very informative and certainly has changed my thinking about NCL. Not sure why I had a different mental pcture, since I've never sailed on the line. I'm so glad you had a good experience.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We have sailed on NCL a few times and one of the criticisms of regular NCL passengers I talked to was the taking of open public space and turning that space into the many restaurants. Thus, the feel of crowding that many feel.

[GmaPajama]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this cruise, Judy. It was a very big step for you and I've been so anxious to know how it went. Looking forward to your continued thoughts ...

[CowPrincess]

Sail, congratulations on taking this huge step! And thanks for the report, it's very interesting.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the nice comments. I'm enjoying sharing about my experience and am happy some seem to be getting something from my comments.

 

I liked FreeStyle. I mean, I really like it. I thought I'd be the last holdout for Traditional but I am not. I brought a little black dress and my friends brought commensurate, just in case. We never considered wearing it and were thrilled we didn't have to. I loved the gowns and tuxes for years but my world, the whole world, has changed. There is still a place in my life for a gown/cocktail dress and I certainly would dress appropriately for a formal wedding etc but I freely admit country club casual is working just fine for me.

 

It did not disturb my enjoyment to see the way 85% of the guests on DAWN came to dinner and I found humor in some of the 'get ups' a few characters treated us to. :D It was fun and funny. Most people used decent manners in their choice of costuming and no harm, no foul.

 

Someone commented about there being crowding because there are so many alternative restaurants and that likely is a lot of the reason there were times I felt an area was more congested than I like but I liked having so many restaurants to choose from more than I disliked the now and then when a venue was crowded. I'd opt to have all the restaurant choices if I had to pick 'Door A or Door B.' Your Mileage May Vary.

 

Someone asked if I minded being docked at Dockyard and the answer is my preference would be Hamilton where Veendam docks but not a big deal. No one seemed greatly inconvenienced and I heard very little mumbling. One makes choices and there is usually a trade off.

 

We found ourselves enjoying our wine with dinner with pleasant conversation, good to sometimes very good food served professionally by clean, well trained stewards made for leisurely table talk and we did not attend much in the way of shows. We never actually went to shows very much on HAL either but there were ample choices for those who looked for a live show. We often saw the crowd emptying out of the theater and no doubt in my mind shows were well attended. NCL apparently saves front row balcony seats for suite guests so we could easily have slipped in at any point if we wished but never did get there.

 

I did like that crew on Dawn seemed more apt to enforce rules. There were children diving and cannon-balling into the pool when the area was crowded and security/deck guys saw to it that stopped.

 

Speaking of pool area...... Never have more people been jammed into the same amount of space as I saw this week. They had the usual set up of loungers a few rows deep all around the pool, then tables and chairs along the glass as on HAL ships, but they had a tiered seating area where there were something like 5 or 6 levels with chaise loungers set up and could squeeze hundreds of people into those chairs without using anymore 'non-revenue' space than could be helped. I would have hated sitting up there but most seemed fine with it as those chairs were filled.

 

I realize this is a disorganized ramble of jumping from one topic to another but as thoughts enter my mind, I'm speaking of them or I'm sure I'll forget them at once if I don't. :o

 

Almost all of the buffet was self-serve but for carving of turkeys, roast beef, whole legs of lamb etc I am very sure there was a jerk or two who could have used better hygiene and care about not contaminating serving tongs or trays of food but certainly no more than on HAL. At the entry to the buffet, they had staff spraying anti-bacterials same as on HAL.

 

I especially enjoyed the soft serve ice cream machine was self-serve. :) I admit to visiting and being able to have my choice of vanilla, chocolate or the two combined in the third dispenser. It was good though they were smart to provide rather small cones or it could have gotten totally out of hand. They also had dishes and servers with chocolate or butterscotch sauce as well as (here we go - different parts of the world/country and what they call them but here in Boston they are) Jimmies. Chocolate or multi-colored sprinkles most of the kids loved.

 

Bar Service was sometimes a bit slow. We liked one bar where there was a couple singing/playing piano and found them decently entertaining. Another bar actually looked much like it, on the same deck, had a similar set up and both were painfully slow on occasion getting drinks served. We were seated (several times) and ordered our simple drinks. The bar/bartenders were right behind us yet it took a very long time to get our drinks. One in our party asked the steward if they had to go elsewhere to get the drinks and the answer was not.... they got them right at the bar mere yards behind us. :) Didn't matter as what was our hurry but we did notice.

 

We stayed an extra night in Bermuda. We were to have left Tuesday at 5 P.M. but the Captain announced a fair amount in advance, we would overnight in Bermuda and sail 6 A.M. Wednesday. The reason stated was routine maintenance that took longer than they expected. One of my friends saw a crane on the dock and some materials and advised he had a fair idea what they were working on and assured us barring something really unexpected, we'd be back in Boston on time and we were. Needless to say, a huge cheer went up when Captain said we had an extra night in Bermuda. Who wouldn't want that especially given the gorgeous weather.

 

More to come....... (I understand anyone who has had enough and wishes to 'bail'.)

Thanks to those who have stuck with me.

 

Edited August 8, 2015 by sail7seas

[Tampa Girl]

So glad you wrote about this experience. For our fellow HAL passengers who worried that HAL would pull out of Tampa because they couldn't get the larger ships under the Sunshine Skyway: Well, NCL has just announced that they are bringing another ship into Tampa to do 7, 10, and 11-day cruises. It is a 2,400+passenger ship. That has to be larger, although perhaps not taller, than the Oosterdam, which is coming to Tampa. Yay!

[POA1]

Keep it coming! :)

[rafinmd]

Welcome home Sail and thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

Roy

[Marion B]

Sail,

I am so happy to hear your first NCL experience was a good one. Your experiences and comparisons are very similar to ours. I also totally agree with your choice of "surprising" to describe your first NCL cruise.

We too have cruised mostly HAL, so our first NCL cruise was "how bad could 7 days on an NCL ship be after a short drive to the port?" So good that we are soon to embark on a longer European cruise in a Haven suite.

I am especially enjoying your comments regarding the NCL suite life, as we will be in a Penthouse Suite this time.

Wishing you many more happy sailings. Maybe our paths will cross - in the Neptune Lounge - or the Haven lounge.

Welcome back. Looking forward to more of your thoughts.

 

Marion

[sail7seas]

I missed HAL's aft pool..... I REALLY missed it. While Dawn has a pool for the children, plenty of kids came to the main pool, as most would expect and that didn't bother me in the way not having that three sides open to the sea beautiful layout for HAL's aft pool. I love standing at the rails and enjoying the flow of the air/breeze, the view and am able to 'tune out' the ambient noise and enjoy being at sea. That is one of the best designs I love about HAL ships. :)

 

Comments about the Penthouse after seeing a few questions/comments.

The square footage is probably a little smaller than Neptune Suites on "S" and "R" ships but about the same as Vista/Signature. It's hard for me to say for sure as the layout is quite different. My verandah was larger than mid-ship Neptune on both "S" and Vista design ships and those verandahs are plenty large for most people.

 

Were I to book another NCL ship, I would want to book a Haven Suite but I think (am not sure) the Havens are on really large ships and I truly don't want to sail a ship larger than Vista/Signature or this NCL ship. The corridor was one straight shot back from forward to aft and was longer than I want to book again. I love being mid-ship in Neptune Suites on HAL. I know some love those aft cabins but not me. I don't covet the wrap around Neptunes.

 

The layout of my Penthouse suited me well. Because it varied from what I am accustomed to, I'm unsure of measurements. In place of the large pull out couch in Neptune Suites, this suite had a 'love seat' size couch that pulled to a single bed. The cabin was designed to hold three people, not four. But it had a table and chairs for 'en suite' dining. The table was rather unattractive and basic but it was very suitable for those who wished to have a full breakfast in cabin or their dinner delivered. Verandah had two loungers with mats and two rattan chairs with a small low table.

 

As on HAL, key cards are colored different for Suites but unlike HAL, I think key cards are also colored differently for high number of day repeaters. On HAL, it indicates Stars but that ends at 500. Doesn't matter but just posting an observation that might interest someone.

 

Some final thoughts and that is that.

Any questions?

 

Edited August 8, 2015 by sail7seas

[qsuzi]

Sail, so happy to read your reports about sailing with NCL. Welcome home. Hope to see you back on HAL in the future.

[sail7seas]

Sail, so happy to read your reports about sailing with NCL. Welcome home. Hope to see you back on HAL in the future.

 

Thank you, qsuzi.

Let there be no doubt that it is my sincere wish to return to HAL. I hope I find myself able to cross one those great gangways with my DH. HAL will always be my 'cruise home'.

 

Edited August 8, 2015 by sail7seas

[mommyto2girls]

So glad you enjoyed our favorite cruise line . The Haven is amazing and you should give it a try, the Jewel class ships all have one and they are not Mega size. We are doing a HAL cruise in March but I know I am going to miss that freestyle and that Haven life.

[elkd43]

Sail,

So happy to read of your enjoyable NCL cruise to Bermuda. Was on Dawn in 2010 and found many similarities to HAL (our favorite line). Dawn was our first experience with open dining and we now prefer this.

Queen Mary was our largest ship (3000) but that was large enough for me. No mega ships!!!

 

Welcome back!!!!

[AlexandNessa]

I was wondering when/how your cruise was. :)

 

 

Enjoying your review and comparison. I would encourage you to try NCL's Jewel class ships (Jewel, Jade, Gem, Pearl). They are not much larger than the Dawn, yet have the benefit of the private Haven. An H5 would suit you nicely. I think you'd particularly enjoy the Courtyard. Though there is no ocean view on the lower level, it's rather charming and has what we call the Courtyard Butler to cater to anything you need while there. We often had our lunch served from Cagney's to the Courtyard.

 

Your comments on the Dawn's drink service are not the first I've heard. I don't know why it seems to be specific to that ship. We were on the Gem in April/May and did not have those issues, despite the high number of guests with the Unlimited Beverage Package (which to anyone following is far, far superior to HAL's SBP.).

 

Would love to hear more about your butler. Ours visited us early on in the cruise and learned we favored salt instead of sweets, and boy did he deliver the salt! He was also able to order us food from La Cucina in our suite for dinner one night when we just wanted a quiet evening.

 

Thanks for coming back to tell us how it was.

[nutensteve]

Welcome back Sail. Enjoyed your review and glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Thank you, qsuzi.

Let there be no doubt that it is my sincere wish to return to HAL. I hope I find myself able to cross one those great gangways with my DH. HAL will always be my 'cruise home'.

 

 

OMG Sail you took my heart! I sooo love you! Since being on this board I get so much inspiration from you!

Love your review! I remember when you posted your one year anniversary of your dear husband and how hard it was to finally say yes to this cruise with friends! I so understand your situation. Right now I am in the air to Europe with free wi fi so I am reading CC and love your review! Meant more sailing Sail!

Sincerely, Denise:)

[qsuzi]

OMG Sail you took my heart! I sooo love you! Since being on this board I get so much inspiration from you!

Love your review! I remember when you posted your one year anniversary of your dear husband and how hard it was to finally say yes to this cruise with friends! I so understand your situation. Right now I am in the air to Europe with free wi fi so I am reading CC and love your review! Meant more sailing Sail!

Sincerely, Denise:)

I'm so glad you posted these sentiments. Sail is an inspiration.

[DeeniEncinitas]

I'm so glad you posted these sentiments. Sail is an inspiration.

 

Qsuzi!

Your damn right! Sorry CC board! She is so wonderful, and unless you have been in her shoes you will never know how hard this venture was for her to step out w/o her wonderful husband! I have been married 43 yrs. to my child hood suitheart and I give her so much credit. I actually cried on the plane and my husband read her quote and he also had watery eyes!

She is the best!

Sincerely,

Denise:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Oh Sail Welcome Home, I just saw this thread. I thought you were on the July 31st sailing. I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart in so many ways that you really enjoyed NCL and enjoyed your first go at single cruising.

You have touched on many of the things I love about NCL. You would love the Jewel Class which reminds me more of the Vista Class of HAL. I find NCL to be in many ways the way HAL use to be when I first started cruising HAL in in 2004. Once you return to NCL and get invited to the Past Passengers Party it will remind you so much of the way they use to be on HAL.

NCL most definitely has FAR MORE Cruise to serve the passengers. My first cruise with NCL almost 6 years ago and I have seen improvements each time we return. The food qualify at least for me keeps getting better. Service reminds me the way the crew use to be on HAL.

We have our Favorite Suite in the aft on the Jewel Class and I always look forward to having my morning or even afternoon Lavazza Coffee :D

As someone else mentioned the Free Laundry comes as a Past Passenger Latitude Perk once you are Platinum level. I hit Platinum on my November NCL Jewel cruise :)

 

Thanks so much for reporting in :)

 

[biker@sea]

Very nice review. I was hoping Dawn would not be to much of a let down for you.:)

 

.

[sail7seas]

OMG Sail you took my heart! I sooo love you! Since being on this board I get so much inspiration from you!

Love your review! I remember when you posted your one year anniversary of your dear husband and how hard it was to finally say yes to this cruise with friends! I so understand your situation. Right now I am in the air to Europe with free wi fi so I am reading CC and love your review! Meant more sailing Sail!

Sincerely, Denise:)

 

I'm so glad you posted these sentiments. Sail is an inspiration.

 

Oh my......... these two very kind posts put a few tears in my eyes.

Without doubt, I had my moments aboard on my own when missing DH was so heavy but I had my private methods of coping. :) I am happy I went to Dawn and think it probably has provided me with the bridge to get back to sea. :)

 

Your posts mean a great deal to me. :) Thank you.