review of ncl dawn to western carib 1/07/07

[glassjelly]

My partner and i cruised the western carribean on 1/7/07. We had a fantastic time.

 

What we did was take a taxi to 47th and 12th ave and walk to the embarkation site. If you arrive early enough you can check-in and get your room card before everyone else. Also the people that sit in the blue seat area get to enter the ship first.

 

Once we entered the ship, we went to the venetian to have lunch. Alot of the people that worked there suggested that we eat at the garden cafe (buffet) but we would rather eat at the much prettier Venetian restaurant.

 

Afterwards we got our soda cards ($60) and then went to our rooms. We tried to make reservations to the speciality restaurants on the first day but the reservationists were not available on the first day. What we did was we called the restaurants on the first day after 5pm, and made a reservation that way.

 

Our room was great. We had a balcony. Was it a must? not really. but it was still nice to have a balcony all to ourselves.

 

The staff was amazing! Everyone was smiling and greeting us all around. There was one host that was a tad rude. I would always try to smile or say hello to her but she never smiled back or never said hello. I thought it was kind of rude. Anyone also have that experience with Mirela?

 

We went to Cozumel, Roatan, ocho rios, and belize. Our excursions were dolphin swimming, aerial trek and cave tubing, and river tubing. These were all amazing! We swam with our dolphin "Titan" in Cozumel. One thing i can suggest is that you take a cab over to the park yourself and sign yourself up for the royal dolphin swim. You have 2 dolphins lift you up and swim with you.

 

All the other excursions were great, except i did not like Aerial trek. A little tip, once you start on the Aerial trek, you have to keep going, there is no place for you to climb down.

 

The food was great. We actually tried all the restaurants. Our favorites were Le Bistro (Rodicas was our maitre'd who was amazing) and Bamboo. We also tried Salsa's and Pranto our waiter was amazing! We actually tipped in cash for service that was above and beyond. Most people would say that your tip is included, but we did not mind tipping when we had a great time. Its nice to see people get appreciated for their work.

 

The food at the free restaurants was also great. No complaints. The only place i didnt really like was Cagney's. Maybe its because we have so many excellent steak houses in NY.

 

We didnt really attend alot of the shows. We did however participate in a show called the "quest" where my partner had to dress in drag :)

 

The only thing that kind of threw me off was the spa. I walked into the mandarin spa to take a look at their sauna and steam room. When i did that, an employee of the spa flipped out and demanded my pass. They said for people to use these amenities they have to pay 15 dollars a day. I always thought these amenities were free. Its pretty customary for hotels and cruises to include these. I would have booked several spa packages but because of this rude employee i didnt make any appts.

 

I just want to let everyone know that i had a great time. If you compare to other cruise lines throughout the cruise of what you got somewhere else, you wont have a good time. The people i met on the cruise were very nice. Yes, there were people that said, the food was horrible compared to other lines, and the service was better, blah blah blah. I had no problem with service at all.

 

Oh, looking through the message boards, i saw many people complaining about the wait time in restaurants. I never had to wait at ANY restaurant. I got seated right away. My dinner usually lasted for 1 - 1.5 hours. If i asked the server to bring out my food earlier, he would always comply. There was a couple that said they ate at cagneys for FOUR hours. When i asked what they had, they had 6 appetizers and 4 entree's each. Of COURSE this will take a long time. You are ordering for 4-5 people!

 

I had a great time. We bought lots of liquor duty free. It was awesome. Eizel another hostess in Le Bistro was great. She really made my dinner great!

 

Also - people complained about not having enough activities. I thought the activies were fine. I guess if there is an activity that the person isnt interested in, they would right that off as having no activities that would cater to their interest. I mean on the "off-time" i bought books to read, also got to listen to some music, and snacked or went to the gym.

 

Also my partner and i are gay. We never really experienced any homophobic comments at all. Yes, we did get the occasional double-look. But nobody ever approached us or made a big deal of it. The only public displays of affection that we had was holding hands.

 

Anyways, I just watned to let everyone know we had a great time. It was an amazing cruise. If you walk in to the cruise comparing the dawn to your best cruise experience then youll probably be dissapointed. Have a great time. Order a drink. Try a speciality restaurant. Chat with the waiters. Smile at people. I am sure if you do this youll have a great time.

 

 

-Phil

[silkhair1]

Great review Phil, I have a few questions for you. What time did you get to the pier to check-in and how was the weather in the ports? I was wondering of shorts were good or should I bring more long pants for my boys? Thank You!!!

[tini]

 

I had a great time. We bought lots of liquor duty free. It was awesome.

-Phil

 

Hi Phil,

 

Where did you find the best prices on liquor? On the ship or ports? If the ports, which ones? We love restocking our home bar with the high-end liquors we can purchase for less while in the Caribbean.

I will be on the Dawns 3/11 Western Caribbean cruise. Woot!

 

Thanks..........and great review!

 

-Nancy

[coneygal]

Phil, Could you give us more info re: dolphin swim. Where to get cab, how far, cost, etc. We sail on the Dawn 1/28/07. Thanks!

[coneygal]

Phil, Could you give us more info re: dolphin swim. Where to get cab, how far, cost, etc. We sail on the Dawn 1/28/07. Thanks!

[coneygal]

Phil, Could you give us more info re: dolphin swim. Where to get cab, how far, cost, etc. We sail on the Dawn 1/28/07. Thanks!

[coneygal]

Sorry, computer jam!

[coneygal]

Phil, sorry for the many duplicates, my computer went wild. Really would like the info.

[Leafpeeper]

We find that the ship is usually the same price as the ports for liquor. Personally, I enjoy trying all the samples at the pier.

[Leafpeeper]

I find the ship is usually the same price as the ports. We enjoy trying all the samples at the pier. Fortunately, your duty free alcohol is delivered to your room in plenty of time for enjoyment on the last night of your cruise.

[Zoliss]

Hello, i was on that cruise too and really enjoyed it. We missed The Bahamas (again cry i think i will never go there) but the cruise was a great experience. The only thing i did not like was the fact there is absolutly nothing traduce in french, no paper, no excursion, nothing. We were at least 400+ french ppl and they should work a bit on this. Anyway we had a great time food was excellent and dont miss the "Band on the run" show:D .

[RC_BC]

Great review Phil, I have a few questions for you. What time did you get to the pier to check-in and how was the weather in the ports? I was wondering of shorts were good or should I bring more long pants for my boys? Thank You!!!

 

The ports were warm (80's) so shorts are fine. The cool days were the first and last days of the cruise.

 

Rosemary, who was also on this cruise and had a good time.

[RC_BC]

As for time for getting to the pier, we got there at 11:15 AM, and there was a line for those pre-checking in. Boarding didn't start until about 12:45 PM. We personally stepped on board at about 1:10 PM as Latitudes members.

 

Rosemary

[Mooder]

Phil, Could you give us more info re: dolphin swim. Where to get cab, how far, cost, etc. We sail on the Dawn 1/28/07. Thanks!

 

Just in case you don't get an answer: It is very easy to get a cab in Cozumel. they are lined up when you get there. It is a 10 to 15 minute ride to Chankanaab Park which is where Dolphin Discovery is. It is equally easy to get a cab back to port. The cab cost us about $15 (we had 5 people) each way. Check out Dolphin Discovery's website, they have the details on the swim options and the costs. http://www.*****cozumel/ I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation in advance as they fill up fast. At least when we went over New Year's, it was totally booked. We did the swim adventure as we could not get into the royal swim, but I was not disappointed. It is the most thrilling thing I ever did and everyone in my family felt the same way. Have fun!!!!

[glassjelly]

To tell you the truth i thought that the cheapest alcohol was found in cozumel. BUT because we didnt want to carry around the stuff throughout the island, we just bought it on the ship :)

 

It costs a few dollars more. Not drastically more though.

 

We booked a tour to see the dolphins so went with the ship - but i honestly believe you dont need to. Just go to Chankaab yourself, or organize on the message boards someone else that will go with you and take a cab there togethor for safety.

 

The dolphin encounter is not worth it. The dolphin swim was super fun (the one i tried), the royal dolphin swim we did not try. Although the price of the royal swim was still CHEAPER then the dolphin swim they offered on the ship.

 

Hope all is well.

 

And have fun on your trip!

 

Cheers,

Phil

[monicajay]

Hey Glassjelly,

 

Thanks for your review. I love the little tips like the "blue seats" getting on first. I'm really looking forward to our upcoming trip on the Dawn so read all reviews and threads regarding this ship.

 

Nothing to do with cruising but If you liked the dolphin swim and are ever on the west coast of Florida, try swimming with the manatee in crystal river. It is about 75 miles north of Tampa and the only place in the world you can swim with them. There are many tour operators, we used Birds - amazing. Google search "swim manatee and birds".

 

Glad to hear that being gay was not an issue on your trip. I don't believe open excessive affection is appropriate for any couple. Holding hands, a little kiss .............save the rest for latter. JMO, don't flame me please.

[pinkaboo]

Great review, appreciate the tips and info.

What time did you get to the ship and are you a latitudes member?

[glassjelly]

Hope you all enjoyed the review!

I was at the pier at 11:15 and in the ship in less then 1.5 hours.

 

I think it was faster then that.

 

Just make sure you get their early and try to pre-register. If you can not, sit in the blue seats. You will get let in first.

 

Also if you want to do murder mystery night - even if you sign up to do it and you arrive 5 minutes late your seat will be given up. You dont need to sign up necessarily but all you need to do is arrive early.

 

Being gay was not an issue on the ship. I had some caution in the begining but noone seemed to care - at least not in our face. We are 27 and 25, and the only weirdness was that when we walked into a restaurant people would double take. We did have one couple see us and then start whispering amongst themselves and then laugh. They did this throughout the cruise, but i didnt let their ignorance get to us.

 

At least no one got in my face about it. If they did, my partner and i would have probably gotten in their face about it... :)

 

Let me know if you guys have any questions.

Phil

[glassjelly]

The quest -

My partner partiipated in the show "The Quest"

 

I have to say it was interesting. My partner had a blast!!!! As for myself, there were some fun moments - BUT their were some parts that i thought were quite demeaning.

 

I.E. Finding a woman that would bark like a dog - and then bringing them on stage to get a point. Finding two women that would french kiss. Finding a women that had a piercing but not on their ears. These were part of the items that you needed to participate in the quest and to win.

 

Other then that - the game was definetely lively and lots of people had a good time.

 

Go see the show and judge for yourself.

-P

[Sybird]

Hi Phil,

May I assume that you and I shared luch with the cruise-critic table consisting of Bud & Dawn. This is Sy. Wife Marcella says hello. We all had a great time on this cruise.

Liked your review of the "Quest". It was tacky but fun.

Regards to John,

 

Sy