Dawn in '09?

[CC Help Michell]

Hi, all! :)

 

On our recent POH cruise we booked the Future Cruise deal (which, since we liked our NCLA cruise and have no reason to believe NCL will be worse (only better) we really thought was a steal -- for a net $150 outlay we got a $100 credit on that cruise, plus a $250 future deposit guarantee --good for any NCL ship for sailings in the next 30 months, and that's the only deposit required for any cabin except courtyard and garden villas).

 

Since I'm going through severe cruise withdrawal, I'm looking at cruising again with NCL in 2009. I'm trying to think what to do here. I'm a teacher... I can cruise at Winter break (like 3 days before Christmas to five days after New Year's), one week at Spring break (the first FULL week of April -- usually starts around 4/4 or 4/5) and summertime. We want an itinerary with sea days this time, and a casino -- I got MY way with Hawaii's port-intensive, no gambling, itinerary this year, so it's my SO's turn. Based on that, we're thinking the Caribbean. The ports aren't as important to us as they were for Hawaii, since we've both cruised Eastern and Western Caribbean before -- thus, the ship is MUCH more important to us than it was for Hawaii.

 

For 2009 schedules are only out through April (conveniently for us), and Dawn is sailing a Caribbean itinerary out of Miami the week I'm off school. We can get an AE suite (aft balcony) for $1299 pp, which I'm thinking is a great deal.

 

SO, here's the question! (I know you were waiting!) How confident should we be in the Dawn and her fitness? I realize there's a Kreskin factor here -- nobody KNOWS when a machine will break -- but for what seems like the last year I've been reading about Dawn's azipod and Dawn's engine troubles.

 

I was also thinking "what if NCL decides to cruise the Caribbean in summer, 2009 (which they didn't in 2007 or 2008)"? I have no way of knowing whether they will, but in summer I'm free as a bird, and SO is in IT and has much more flexibility than I do -- I'd LOVE to find a 10-14 day Caribbean for summer 2009. So, second question is -- any of you swamis think it's realistic to hope that in 2009 NCL returns to the Caribbean? Or should I book the Dawn for April?

 

PS I realized that, as a teacher, my dilemma hits exactly the point KeystoneCruiser made in his "five ideas for Colin Veitch" post -- I hope to heck CV is reading! :)

[KeystoneCruiser]

From one teacher to another....I do hope Colin reads these comments and considers implementing a more varied summer schedule in 2009 than they have in 2008. I think summer 2008 is the absolute WORST year for cruise selection in the 8 years I have been following NCL. 3 ships to Bermuda is overkill to me, 3 ships to Europe, 3 ships to Alaska, 2 in Hawaii and one doing the same old carribean itinerary as always....no variety!

 

That is why we are having to switch over and take RCCL's Explorer of the Seas next July. It is going to Canada and New England in JULY! (what a great idea for educators!) We want to take another cruise in 2009 and want to come back to NCL, but only if the itineraries are better!

 

(I am more limited than you are though, due to my extra duties at the school, I cannot take cruises over Christmas and Spring Breaks,:( leaving just the summer for me....)

 

Hey Colin.....one more idea: how about an "educators cruise" some summer? Put together an itinerary that provides certain educators study in a certain area and then get some experts to cruise on the ship and provide seminars for them. Examples would be a History cruise to Boston, NY, Norfolk, Charleston with a stop in Canada or Nassau to make it legal. A Science cruise to certain islands in the carribean teaming with wildlife (or even an Alaska cruise more designed to study wildlife and/or glaciers.) I'm sure you could fill a ship easily if you designed this correctly. Everybody would win...educators could study and learn more, students would gain in the classroom from first hand insights by the teachers (trust me, I have used what I have seen and learned on cruises in the classroom), NCL would win both for selling cabins and in the PR department...what a great story that would make!

 

 

As far as taking a chance on the Dawn, I can't imagine that the problems that she is having now with the diesels will still be a problem then. That is not to say a new problem will not crop up between now and then, but that is a chance with any ship. (people were bumped off the Star Princess last year for months due to an onboard fire for example.)

[LauraS]

 

 

Hey Colin.....one more idea: how about an "educators cruise" some summer? Put together an itinerary that provides certain educators study in a certain area and then get some experts to cruise on the ship and provide seminars for them. Examples would be a History cruise to Boston, NY, Norfolk, Charleston with a stop in Canada or Nassau to make it legal. A Science cruise to certain islands in the carribean teaming with wildlife (or even an Alaska cruise more designed to study wildlife and/or glaciers.) I'm sure you could fill a ship easily if you designed this correctly. Everybody would win...educators could study and learn more, students would gain in the classroom from first hand insights by the teachers (trust me, I have used what I have seen and learned on cruises in the classroom), NCL would win both for selling cabins and in the PR department...what a great story that would make!

 

 

I have to say this is one of the freshest ideas in theme cruising I've heard in a long time....