Review: NCL Dawn to Bermuda 6/01/2008 (Very Long)

[angeljt]

Excellent review and pics. :D It sure made me want to book the Dawn again.

Loved the Gem and the Majesty, but there's just something about the Dawn....

Jackie

[AuntieBarb]

Excellent review and pics. :D It sure made me want to book the Dawn again.

Loved the Gem and the Majesty, but there's just something about the Dawn....

Jackie

 

Thank you! We love the Dawn too!

 

We're starting to branch out to NCL's other ships, but as long as the Dawn comes to NYC she'll more than likely continue to be on the top of our list. :)

[reenicruiser]

Going to try this again, my first post disappeared.

We are taking our first cruise Aug 10, Dawn to Bermuda. Can you clarify any of these points for us?

1 - NCL's on-shore dining policy of automatically charging $5 to your account and giving a $25 voucher for any of 9 restaurants - is that something you can do once or twice and not the other times, or must it be all-or-nothing - all6 meals on land?

2-Several sites and guests have said NCL automatically adds 15% tip to bar tabs, but NCL says it's not automatic, just encouraged. Do you know which it is?

3-How strict are they about the 18+ policy - my cousin is 2 wks shy of 18 on the cruise, will he be barred from clubs based on guest card or something?

4-Same cousin has an inside stateroom for 4, I can see where the 3rd bed comes from the wall, but how do they fit a 4th in there????

 

Any help you can give, much appreciated.

Reen

[coffeebean]

I don't understand why the Dawn had to leave the dock because a RCCL ship was coming in. We were lucky on the 3/29 sailing of Dawn to Bermuda as we were docked the entire time we were in Bermuda.

 

Was there an explanation as to why Dawn had to move away from the dock for another ship???

[BarbCT605]

I don't understand why the Dawn had to leave the dock because a RCCL ship was coming in. We were lucky on the 3/29 sailing of Dawn to Bermuda as we were docked the entire time we were in Bermuda.

 

Was there an explanation as to why Dawn had to move away from the dock for another ship???

Because the other ship was waaayyyy bigger than us.:)

 

Actually, our itinerary always showed 2 days at the Wharf with the 3rd tendering.

 

I don't know who decides which ship will be at the pier and which will be anchored. That goes for other ports as well.

[zebster15]

Excellent review and pics. :D It sure made me want to book the Dawn again.

Loved the Gem and the Majesty, but there's just something about the Dawn....

Jackie

 

 

Jackie,

 

You should have called in sick for the week...You could have come down with the Bermuda Flu...it's a tricky strain, shows up on a Sunday morning and last a full week, requires total rest and relaxation, it is contagious, so no work!;)

 

Gail

[AuntieBarb]

Going to try this again, my first post disappeared.

We are taking our first cruise Aug 10, Dawn to Bermuda. Can you clarify any of these points for us?

1 - NCL's on-shore dining policy of automatically charging $5 to your account and giving a $25 voucher for any of 9 restaurants - is that something you can do once or twice and not the other times, or must it be all-or-nothing - all6 meals on land?

2-Several sites and guests have said NCL automatically adds 15% tip to bar tabs, but NCL says it's not automatic, just encouraged. Do you know which it is?

3-How strict are they about the 18+ policy - my cousin is 2 wks shy of 18 on the cruise, will he be barred from clubs based on guest card or something?

4-Same cousin has an inside stateroom for 4, I can see where the 3rd bed comes from the wall, but how do they fit a 4th in there????

 

Any help you can give, much appreciated.

Reen

 

Reen, I believe I saw your post in another Dawn review thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=15043834#post15043834 , but I'll help with what I can.

 

1) First, the "Dine Ashore" program is not currently active and I have no idea if it will start up again. That was much to the dismay of many!

 

2) 15% gratuities will be automatically added to your bar tab.

 

3) Your cousin won't have any difficulty going to the various lounges. Now as far as obtaining wine or beer, their parent will have to give permission. I'm not sure how they keep track of that. Perhaps they place a special stamp on their key card. I haven't had to deal with that yet, so I really don't know.

 

4) Interior staterooms that accommodate 4, have one on the wall (pullman - the mattress is hard as a rock!) and a trundle under another. When the trundle is pulled out, it raises to the same level as the other 2 beds, making pretty much "wall to wall" bed. If you search the boards, they can be rearranged to make a "U" shape, but it takes a bit of doing!

[AuntieBarb]

Jackie,

 

You should have called in sick for the week...You could have come down with the Bermuda Flu...it's a tricky strain, shows up on a Sunday morning and last a full week, requires total rest and relaxation, it is contagious, so no work!;)

 

Gail

 

Hi Gail!

 

Yes, I think I even feel a relapse coming on! LOL! Too bad the Dawn has already set sail. Damn!

[angeljt]

Jackie,

 

You should have called in sick for the week...You could have come down with the Bermuda Flu...it's a tricky strain, shows up on a Sunday morning and last a full week, requires total rest and relaxation, it is contagious, so no work!;)

 

Gail

 

Hi Gail!

 

Yes, I think I even feel a relapse coming on! LOL! Too bad the Dawn has already set sail. Damn!

 

Ha ha.... I know I've had that flu before!!! ;) I don't need to get that flu these days, but Terry should really rub noses with some people who do have it. I'd like him to get the 14 day strain... We can always wait until next Sunday. :D

Jackie

[AuntieBarb]

Ha ha.... I know I've had that flu before!!! ;) I don't need to get that flu these days, but Terry should really rub noses with some people who do have it. I'd like him to get the 14 day strain... We can always wait until next Sunday. :D

Jackie

 

You have no idea how tempted I am to say "You're on!" :D

[HoopTroop]

Thank you for the review and for posting the FSD's.

 

HoopTroop

[zebster15]

I heard that there is this new strain that is expected to arrive on 11/2 and last for 13 days. It's the Repo Flu....better be sure that Terry gets his 'shot' so he doesn't contact it. I know of 2 couples from CT that are carriers, so you might want to avoid Cheryl and Al and Jim and Judi. If he comes in contact with them, he may be forced to be quarantined for the entire 2 weeks:eek:

 

We are thinking about it too.

[AuntieBarb]

Thank you for the review and for posting the FSD's.

 

HoopTroop

 

You're welcome, HoopTroop. Thanks for commenting!

[reenicruiser]

Thanks so much for the info, AuntiBarb. There is so much contradictory info online, for example, the NCL website states the 15% is encouraged, never says it's automatic. It's really difficult for a first time cruiser to know what to expect. We're on a super strict budget, my husband has been out of work on unpaid medical leave most of the past year and a half and this wasn't a planned vacation, my niece decided on a destination wedding. Thanks again for your response.

[angeljt]

You have no idea how tempted I am to say "You're on!" :D

 

I wish we could do it!!!! Looks like you had a great group on your cruise. I bet the parties in the GV with Barb & Tony were a lot of fun!!! :D What a way to cruise!!!

 

I heard that there is this new strain that is expected to arrive on 11/2 and last for 13 days. It's the Repo Flu....better be sure that Terry gets his 'shot' so he doesn't contact it. I know of 2 couples from CT that are carriers, so you might want to avoid Cheryl and Al and Jim and Judi. If he comes in contact with them, he may be forced to be quarantined for the entire 2 weeks:eek:

 

We are thinking about it too.

 

Yes, I've mentioned it a few times to Terry, but his school vacation is in October. I really wanted to book the repo, but I guess that flu might miss us this time. :(

I knew Cheryl and Al had booked it quite a while back. I don't know Jim and Judi, do I? Where they on our Gem cruise?

I hope you're able to go!!! I love the longer cruises.

Jackie

[AuntieBarb]

Thanks so much for the info, AuntiBarb. There is so much contradictory info online, for example, the NCL website states the 15% is encouraged, never says it's automatic. It's really difficult for a first time cruiser to know what to expect. We're on a super strict budget, my husband has been out of work on unpaid medical leave most of the past year and a half and this wasn't a planned vacation, my niece decided on a destination wedding. Thanks again for your response.

 

If you anticipate spending a lot on alchoholic drinks, I suggest ordering bar setup to supplement your drinking; thus saving on gratuities too. We do and it cuts our costs down a lot. Buying mixed drinks "on the fly" can really rack up a hefty onboard account; never realizing how much you've spent until seeing the preliminary bill towards the end of the cruise.

 

We make our drinks before going off here and there, so we rarely buy any drinks from the bars anymore unless we're in the mood for a specialty drink (like martini clinics and such). Unfortunately the bar setup prices have recently gone up, but I still believe you'd reap some savings! Just write to the ship coordinator via Group Events - groupevendawn@ncl.com (adjusting the name, based up the ship) for a price list and they'll instruct you from there. Bar setups must be paid in advance.

[zebster15]

 

Yes, I've mentioned it a few times to Terry, but his school vacation is in October. I really wanted to book the repo, but I guess that flu might miss us this time. :(

I knew Cheryl and Al had booked it quite a while back. I don't know Jim and Judi, do I? Where they on our Gem cruise?

I hope you're able to go!!! I love the longer cruises.

Jackie

 

Not sure if you do know them. 'Kirdo', I thought they might have been on one of your cruises but maybe not.

 

One of our dogs got sick while we were away.Noone noticed she wasn't herself. So after a few days in the hospital and $1000+ vet bill last week, Jack says he can't go anywhere. She is much better today. Who knows, maybe he will change his mind about a long cruise. I'd wait to the end to book that one anyway.

[reenicruiser]

Re, savings on alcohol - Actually, I don't expect my husband or I to drink at all, or very little. But I really wanted to know what to tell our three over-18 yrs olds who are paying their own way. Don't want any nasty surprises for them at the end of the week. I'll pass on your suggestions, thanks.

[AuntieBarb]

Re, savings on alcohol - Actually, I don't expect my husband or I to drink at all, or very little. But I really wanted to know what to tell our three over-18 yrs olds who are paying their own way. Don't want any nasty surprises for them at the end of the week. I'll pass on your suggestions, thanks.

 

18 year olds can only drink beer and wine with parental permission, so that should help with the final tab.

 

When you say "paying their own way", I hope you mean they have their own credit card for on board expenditures!

[Ms belp]

If you anticipate spending a lot on alchoholic drinks, I suggest ordering bar setup to supplement your drinking; thus saving on gratuities too. We do and it cuts our costs down a lot. Buying mixed drinks "on the fly" can really rack up a hefty onboard account; never realizing how much you've spent until seeing the preliminary bill towards the end of the cruise.

 

We make our drinks before going off here and there, so we rarely buy any drinks from the bars anymore unless we're in the mood for a specialty drink (like martini clinics and such). Unfortunately the bar setup prices have recently gone up, but I still believe you'd reap some savings! Just write to the ship coordinator via Group Events - groupevendawn@ncl.com (adjusting the name, based up the ship) for a price list and they'll instruct you from there. Bar setups must be paid in advance.

 

This is the BEST advice you can take! We have cut our bar bill way down by doing this. Yes, the price has gone up, way too much I think, but it is still cheaper than buying drinks here and there. We have learned to buy the $79.00 Romance Package, the bar set-up with a bottle of vodka, buying or bringing our tonic water, club soda, etc. Maybe a couple of beers for sailing day. Beer helmuts:) (for you old timers on CC). You can save. I still have to buy my bloody mary's from the bars. They make the greatest!

[twinky53]

After finally finding my final bill, I saw it was the least ever at the end of a cruise. When we last cruised on the Crown Princess, we saw how much money we saved by bringing our own liquor aboard, packed in our suitcase and arriving safe and sound to our cabin.

 

I knew that NCL was stricter - don't know if Princess is still so lenient - so we ordered a bottle the first night of our cruise of our favorite, Johnny Walker. Yes, it cost 51.75, final price, but it saved us in the long run, as we had our drinks at night, in our cabin. Except for two souvenir drinks and one bottle of wine, we did very well on this NCL Dawn cruise money wise.

 

Of course, it helped that we only did one excursion and bought very few photos this time! Someone suggested here buying your photos at the end of the cruise, so you pick only the very best of the lot, and we will do that next time. I wish we had done that this last cruise as we had some better pics at the end we just didn't want to splurge on.

[laxfanmom1]

Can anyone tell me if ordering a bar set-up (bottle of vodka) ahead of time is any less expensive than oredering a bottle of vodka from room service?

[angeljt]

Not sure if you do know them. 'Kirdo', I thought they might have been on one of your cruises but maybe not.

 

One of our dogs got sick while we were away.Noone noticed she wasn't herself. So after a few days in the hospital and $1000+ vet bill last week, Jack says he can't go anywhere. She is much better today. Who knows, maybe he will change his mind about a long cruise. I'd wait to the end to book that one anyway.

 

Gail,

I'm sorry that your dog got sick and I hope she is okay. Boy, those vet bills sure take a chunk out of cruise cash. :eek:

Jackie

[reenicruiser]

Yes, the younger ones have their own credit cards. Well, one doesn't but she'll put cash down.

 

About the drink plan, though, if you have a drink in your room before going out, don't you still have to buy something in the clubs or lounges? I imagine they don't want you just sitting there.

[mbisson]

About the drink plan, though, if you have a drink in your room before going out, don't you still have to buy something in the clubs or lounges? I imagine they don't want you just sitting there.

 

 

No, it's not required to buy drinks in the clubs or lounges. Not unusual to see someone with a glass of water/cola or nothing at all.