skeptic555

It looks to me like the cheapest shuttle is around 20/pp each way. Our family is 4, and for our trip in Nov, to rent a minivan from Avis, with all the taxes and fees, is just under $70 (preferred and with a corp discount, but still).

$10 cheaper AND I get to be in control (yeah, I have issues...).

DO NOT overlook this option. We have a 2pm MCO flight, so we have the luxury of time that others might not have, but this is an outstanding option for us.

 

I have a question. Was the Maya Key excursion in Roatan through NCL?

Yep. At the risk of paying far too much, we always book via the ship. While not an issue with Maya Key, the stress and worry of getting back to the ship on time, breaking down, negotiating on the pier etc etc does not say "relaxing cruise vacation" to me!

I went one night to Aqua, and one to Venetian. Enjoyed them both - I will say the quality of the food was significantly better than in the Garden Cafe (buffett) - no surprise, I suppose.

I was quite happy with the menu selections (posted outside during the day for decision making purposes). One night I had the chateaubriad, the other I doubled up with the braised veal plus the gnocchi. While not off the charts or anything, all three were an easy thumbs up. Daughter had the chicken parm both nights (certain dishes seemed to show up more than once) and also approved.

The VIP tour was booked thru NCL, and it was to Chaccoben. I think the cost was around $125. There is a non VIP version as well for less money, but I really thought the efficiency and personal attention of the VIP was worth the extra cost. There were 8 of us in the van, plus the guide and the driver. Our driver was Mayan, and full of strong opinions (and pride) (and great information). Suffice to say no one on our bus will ever confuse the Mayans with the Aztecs... or the Spaniards. The ruins themselves were more expansive than I expected, and we really enjoyed the entire deal. If there are multiple times offered, go with the earliest - one benefit of the VIP is the relative quiet and privacy at the ruins. If you go later, the place will be quite busy.

Costa Maya is a pier stop, and at the end of the pier is a shopping mall type area with stores, kiosks, bars, even a pool. I can't imagine there would be anything NOT represented, but be advised that the vendors here are more aggressive here than any other ports we visited. They are not rude, but they are insistent. If you've cruised in the past, this is nothing new. Beyond this area, which is clearly still being developed, nothing else was within walking distance.

We also did a few nights in NOLA pre-cruise. Cab to the port was easy, and a fixed price.

One other MAJOR thing I forgot in my original post. There was exactly ONE (U.S.) power outlet in the cabin. ONE. There was one additional euro-style, but we did not have converters. Luckily, we had small powerbars we were able to daisy chain together for the various tablet, iPods, and cameras that all needed charging. Four people, one outlet. And I thought the bathroom situation was bad...

One other MAJOR thing I forgot in my original post. There was exactly ONE (U.S.) power outlet in the cabin. ONE. There was one additional euro-style, but we did not have converters. Luckily, we had small powerbars we were able to daisy chain together for the various tablet, iPods, and cameras that all needed charging. Four people, one outlet. And I thought the bathroom situation was bad...

Well, shoot. I meant to post this is the OTHER Dawn thread. Apologies.

One other MAJOR thing I forgot in my original post. There was exactly ONE (U.S.) power outlet in the cabin. ONE. There was one additional euro-style, but we did not have converters. Luckily, we had small powerbars we were able to daisy chain together for the various tablet, iPods, and cameras that all needed charging. Four people, one outlet. And I thought the bathroom situation was bad...

You can make reservations for the MDRs online prior to boarding.

Huh - you can reserve online, but not in person while on board. Cruising "like a Norwegian" gets more interesting all the time.

Shows in the big theater were at 7 and 9, except for Elements, which was at 7 and 930. Smaller shows in Spinnaker Lounge were at varying times, many starting at 8, others at 1015. There is definitely some picking and choosing to be done, as seats filled up for all the shows, and fairly early to boot.

I doubt Teppanyaki is fully booked... we booked while on the ship, and this was over the christmas cruise. The issue is there are 20 spots at 5:00, 20 people at 7:15, and 20 people at 9:30, so if you have a large number, or a specific day, or a specific time required, it can get tight. We only had 4, didnt care what day it was, and wanted the early (less popular?) time, so we got in without difficulty. Perhaps its just not available online yet...

In fact, you CANNOT make reservations at either Aqua or Venetian - I tried last week. Both are first come, first served only. I preferred Venetian, larger room, felt like a higher ceiling as well. Aqua felt like a converted lounge to me. Identical menus and Aqua almost always had a shorter (or no) wait.

About half the nights, venetian was "no shorts" and the other half, it did not have that rule. Which seems insanely silly to me, but let's not go down that rabbit hole.

Shows are 7 and 9, except for Elements, which is 7 and 930 (there is some confetti cleanup needed post show)

Nancy, the "show" part of Teppanyaki was awesome. Our chef seemed a little livelier than his partner (2 chefs work tables of 10 each) - but there was juggling, a snake made out of fried eggs (worth the price of admission alone) and flipping food into people's mouths from a few feet away. And many, many puns. Highly recommended. I can also report that we all left full - this is not always the case at Japanese steakhouses. I don't think you'll regret it.

Re the entertainment: We hit most of the shows in the big theater - the welcome show, the magic show (Haines Magic), Elements and Second City. My kids went to the Band on the Run Broadway style show. We all skipped the acrobats, having seen similar many times before. No real participation in any of those - Second City kept the improv to one piece, as they had two shows dedicated to improv later in the week, in the smaller lounge.

For the "family" improv show, there was a ton of participation, all of the "shout out a suggestion" variety. We did not hit the "adults only" improv show (all asleep by that point, cause that's how we roll) but safe to assume it was more of the same.

There was other "entertainment" like the quest deal and a bunch of "game shows" that were audience-based, but those do not appeal to us, so I can't help you there. Overall, the pros onboard were uniformly excellent. I was not overly impressed with the magician, but I am a huuuuuge magic geek, so I've seen it all before (Origami box, Gypsy Thread, Metamorphosis, Levitation). The act seemed to go over pretty well (in fact, , ALL shows were at capacity all week). A final note about the magic - the theater has outrageously wide angles (death to a magician) so if you really want an unusual view, go upstairs on the left side, into the box seating, and all the way up front. You'll learn more than you might care to... But you'll gain an appreciation for how hard Abi Haines is working while her husband is out front gesturing to the audience.

On the Dawn, Roatan was a 4:30 back on the ship, I believe. The next day in Costa Maya was early - 2:30 if memory serves.

Just back from the Xmas cruise on the Dawn, and here are some random thoughts. Happy to answer questions as I am able.

- We are usually RCCL cruisers, but they were far too expensive over Xmas, so we ended up on the Dawn out of NOLA. 2 adults, and 14 and 16 year old girls. We have been on Carnival, Disney, Celebrity, Princess, and RCCL. I would overall put NCL in the middle of the pack. Competent across the board, not especially exceptional.

- I saw others asking about debarkation times - our flight home was at 1140, and I had us ready to walk off as soon as possible, as I heard this timing might be tight. Not the case. We were onshore right around 730, and way, way, WAY early for the flight. YMMV of course.

- For those cabbing it in NOLA, its a flat rate of 15.00 per person to/from the airport to the pier.

- Best thing we did from a port standpoint was Maya Key in Roatan. 5 minute tender, quiet, lovely, uncrowded. They try to sell it with animals and fake ruins, but really, the numerous chairs, easy access and sanity was sufficient. For a beach day, this was the one.

- We wanted to see Mayan ruins, but were not especially picky, so our criteria was the shortest tour possible. This turned out to be Chaccoben (Costa Maya). I took a gamble and went with the VIP tour, and this was also a tremendous decision. We were in a van with 10 people rather than a bus of 60, we got there first and fast, and had the entire place to ourselves. By the time we were leaving, the place was overrun, and there would have been no chance to take any pictures without 20 randos in the background. We had an expert guide, and again, time and quiet and sanity. I can recommend this wholeheartedly. Do the VIP.

- Belize port was a bit of a disaster - its a 5.5 mile tender. You read that right. Choppy seas meant huge delays, the last tour came back 90 minutes after the originally scheduled departure time. Proceed with caution - and pateince - if you are on your own in Belize.

- Food wise, we did Teppanyaki (the Benihana-style joint) and all gave it a thumbs up, and worth the cost. The food (with one exception) was not particularly outstanding, but the show aspect made it well worth it. This is also the most limited seating - 20 people, 3 seatings a night - so book this one early if interested. My girls had the chicken and steak (which was sirloin) and I had the filet mignon. HUGE difference. My filet was one of the best ive ever had - and I have had a few in my life. It helps that you are eating it 10 seconds from the grill, but even so, the quality was exceptional. The sirloin - which I tried - was only so-so. Get the filet.

- Fun story - thought I was going to see my first fistfight onboard... featuring a 70 year old lady. We were playing the hosted trivia, and a family came thru with the young kids acting like... young kids. This old bird hollers out "WE ARE TRYING TO PLAY TRIVIA AND YOU ARE RUINING IT!" and the father took umbrage that this hollowed out husk of a woman was yelling at his kids. (And they were really not doing anything all that crazy - they saw a Nintendo Wii and got all excited for a minute). He wisely got his kids out of there, but she looked ready to start throwing forearm shivers. It was quite odd.

- Finally, I have to put in a plug for The Second City. I am well familiar with them (being from Chicago) and have seen them a number of times. I LOVED that they were on this ship. We saw the Q&A. We saw the stage show. We saw the improv show. We went to the workshop. We went to the Murder Mystery lunch. The nature of comedy is that it is not for everyone. The cast apparently changes every 4 months or so and cast chemistry can have a big impact, but do not overlook this. Really good stuff.

well, this is longer than I intended, but I've gotten a lot of good info from these boards, and wanted to do my part to contribute. Any Dawn questions, fire away and ill try to answer as best I can.