Going from the Spirit to the Dawn

[bigfoot88]

DW and I are going on the Dawn in May. We have cruised with NCL 6 time, 5 on the Majesty and in Aug 2006 we changed ships and went on the Spirit. The two ships, the Majesty & Spirit, are much different, but are the Dawn and the Spirit. We are going from an inside to the first our first balcony cabin, but what difference will we see between the Spirit and the Dawn ship wise?

[ennjay]

I went on both the Spirit and Dawn last summer (first the Dawn, then the Spirit). The major differences I noticed were in the decor (the Spirit is a little more subdued, Asian decor whereas the Dawn is a little more colorful and bold), the size (the Spirit does feel smaller than the Dawn... the atrium area is smaller, some of the public rooms are smaller, etc.), and the 2 additional dining areas (one additional main dining room, and 1 additional specialty restaurant, Salsa). Even though the Dawn is bigger though and has more people, I actually felt a little more crowded on the Spirit than the Dawn... I think because the areas are bigger and there are more restaurants on the Dawn. Oh, and the cabins on the Dawn have a mini-fridge, which is a nice addition.

 

Other than that, though, I don't think the Spirit and Dawn are too dissimilar. The layout of the ships are very similar, and the onboard activities, too. I would often accidentally call a restaurant or room on the Spirit by the wrong name (whatever the Dawn counterpart was) -- Spinnaker Lounge vs. Galaxy of the Stars, or Venetian vs. Windows, for instance.

 

In short, I loved them both! The Dawn may have a slight edge in my mind, but that could just be because I went on her first. I'd go on either ship again in a heartbeat -- and in fact, will be on the Dawn again in less than 2 months!

 

Enjoy the Dawn!

[electricron]

DW and I are going on the Dawn in May. We have cruised with NCL 6 time, 5 on the Majesty and in Aug 2006 we changed ships and went on the Spirit. The two ships, the Majesty & Spirit, are much different, but are the Dawn and the Spirit. We are going from an inside to the first our first balcony cabin, but what difference will we see between the Spirit and the Dawn ship wise?

 

The basic difference between the Spirit and the Dawn is that the Dawn will have slightly more of everything because it's larger. The Spirit, in my humble opinion, is about as small a ship can be to support Freestyle Cruising to it's fullest. The layout of sister ships can vary somewhat, you'll see many changes in the layouts between the Spirit and Dawn, as they are not sister ships. The Dawn has far more suites, and mini suites that the Spirit doesn't have. The Dawn's aft decks are full with three decks of aft facing balcony and suite cabins, while the Spirit had just one deck.

But the differences you saw between the Majesty and Spirit will far outweigh the differences you'll see between the Spirit and Dawn. The Majesty wasn't built with any balcony cabins, and long before Freestyle Cruising. Both the Spirit and the Dawn were built with Freestyle Cruising in mind.

[jimswims]

DW and I are going on the Dawn in May. We have cruised with NCL 6 time, 5 on the Majesty and in Aug 2006 we changed ships and went on the Spirit. The two ships, the Majesty & Spirit, are much different, but are the Dawn and the Spirit. We are going from an inside to the first our first balcony cabin, but what difference will we see between the Spirit and the Dawn ship wise?

 

Hey Bigfoot88,

 

Glad to see that you and DW are going on another cruise! We had a lot of fun on the Spirit last August too.

 

We are also doing the Dawn this year, but not until August, with our kids. We are also going to do the 2 day in October, without the kids.

 

Enjoy the balcony. We also decided to upgrade from an inside this year. We book an AB Penthouse suite, the 2 bedrooms will be much better for us.

 

Give us a full report when you return. Have a great time!

[johnql]

The previous posters have covered it pretty well. I just wanted to add that the Dawn has a dedicated movie theater, whereas the Spirit doesn't. I love watching movies in an actual movie theater and I thought the Dawn's was comfortable and close to a perfect size for a cruise ship.

[jeannep]

Hi Jim,

We really did have a great time on the Spirit last August with all our CC friends. She is a beautiful ship but I think you are really going to love the Dawn. Joe and I agree that the Dawn was built after the Spirit and the kinks were really fixed on the Dawn. Not that the Spirit was bad but the Dawn is just better. Spinaker Lounge is just upstairs from the Stardust theater on the Dawn so you don't have to walk the lenght of the ship to go from show to show. Spinaker Lounge on the Dawn is built on small platforms looking down on the dancefloor. This way you have better site from the back of the lounge to the stage.

The Blue Lagoon on the Dawn and the Pearly Kings Pub are on different sides of the ship. You can walk through them just like the Spirit but they only lead to the shops so there are not so many people trying to make their way through. The Spirit has the casino at the other end of the Blue Lagoon and the bar so it seems there are always so many people walking through.

Salsa is a nice addition that the Dawn has. It is located 1 flight up from the main lobby. It is a really nice place to sit and look down and enjoy a drink.

I know you are going to love the ship probably a bit better than the Dawn but no matter what you will have a great time.

 

Joe and I have booked on RCCL Grandeur of the Seas in August out of Baltimore for a 9 night Canada/New England cruise. We are really looking forward to it.

 

Take care and say Hi to the family from us,

Jeanne & Joe

[jimswims]

Hi Jeanne and Joe,

 

Glad to hear from you both. Liz and I are really looking forward to going on the Dawn in August and again in October. Thank you for giving us the info on the Dawn...we are really looking forward to the trip. I forgot that you and Joe had been on the ship a few times.

 

Enjoy your RCCL cruise. I hope you have a great time.

 

Thanks for starting this thread Bigfoot!

 

There are some others from our 8/19 Spirit cruise that have been on the Dawn as well. Between this info and your review, we will know all that there is to know about the Dawn when we go in August.

[bigfoot88]

TO ALL, Thanks for the info on the Dawn. Sweetp and I are looking forward to the new ship. Thank You to the 8/19 Spirit group

[Grammynelliebelle]

I don't know if it matters to you or not, but the Dawn has self-serve laundry rooms. They are handy if yu have kids or just like to travel light. I know there is one on deck 5 but you have to ask the staff where it is located. If is behind a door that looks like for staff only. Have fun!

[brooklynphil]

Hi to all. August 19th Spirit cruise was great. We've been on both ships. Even though the Dawn is bigger, the outdoor pool and casino are bigger on the Spirit. You can't lose either way. We haven't booked anything yet. Even if we decide not to cruise this summer, then I'll book the 2 nighter in October to say goodbye to the Dawn.

 

Phil:)

[craigers]

The dawn is nice, but I believe there is a big difference between the Dawn and the Spirit.On the back of the Spirit there are terraced decks,that have protected and open areas,where you can take your drinks and food,sit and relax and watch the wake,sun,moon,stars,etc.There is also an outside bar on deck twelve.Thanks to the extra rooms NCL put at the aft end of the Dawn,the terraced decks are gone except for a kids pool.I don' know why NCL put a kids pool in a prime area.NCL realized their mistake and moved the pool on the sister ships that followed.In its place they put an area they call the great outdoors, where you can sit and relax.This is the reason we chose the Spirit over the Dawn ,in the fall,on their repositioning cruises .

Don

[thewolffs]

Hi to all. August 19th Spirit cruise was great. We've been on both ships. Even though the Dawn is bigger, the outdoor pool and casino are bigger on the Spirit. You can't lose either way. We haven't booked anything yet. Even if we decide not to cruise this summer, then I'll book the 2 nighter in October to say goodbye to the Dawn.

 

Phil:)

 

I have to disagree. I felt that the pool on the Spirit was more crowded than the Dawn. It seemed more cramped. I do agree that the casino on the Spirit is big.

[CPT Trips]

we cruised both and enjoyed both (although I liked the overall Sprit experience more). Some of the major differences we experienced were service things attributable to the crew, not the ship, and that is likely to vary over time.

 

On major difference was the noise. Bring your earplugs, or be ready to get them from the purser. The Dawn is "creaky." There is noise all the time while you are underway. It isn't too loud, but it is noticable and it was absent on the Spirit. In comparing the two ships we noticed more noise from the next door cabins on the Dawn - was it our neighbors or the ship?

 

Do try Salsa's Bar . . . it is right midships and they have great Tapas that you can get before your evening. We enjoyed doing tapas and a drink, then the early show and then dinner.

 

We missed the open stern area that Spirit had . . . it was nice to be outside and away from all the pool commotion. But you have a balcony, so . . .

[jimswims]

Hi to all. August 19th Spirit cruise was great. We've been on both ships. Even though the Dawn is bigger, the outdoor pool and casino are bigger on the Spirit. You can't lose either way. We haven't booked anything yet. Even if we decide not to cruise this summer, then I'll book the 2 nighter in October to say goodbye to the Dawn.

 

Phil:)

 

Hi brooklynphil,

 

Liz and I hope that you and the family are well. We are going to do the Dawn in August with the kids. Liz surprised me and booked us again on the 2 night in October.....without the kids. We have 2 friends going as well. It would be great if you were able to come!