SplashOfWater

Yes, we had a wonderful cruise and I'm wishing the same for you! Best wishes in the New Year! - Anne

No top tier event on the short 3 and 4 night cruises. Not sure about 5 and 6 night cruises.

We cancelled an excursion while onboard the Dawn recently. The credit went to our onboard account. We spent part of it down, but not all of it. A couple of days before debarkation we received a letter in our stateroom advising us that we had a credit on our account and that we had to go to the Onboard Credit Desk to receive the refund in cash.

Yes, the Dawn's theater seats are as you described. The balconies had bench seating with a ledge by the glass for you to place a drink. Some of the balcony seating area is curved a bit away from the stage.

Here is a recent video for Owners Suite 9006. There is no second bedroom. I suspect the couch pulls out into the second bed.

We did not have a DVD player in our Family Suite last month. I don't know if it's something that you can request, though. There are some on-demand movies available (free of charge for suite guests), but the selection was not very good.

We tip the concierge at the end of our cruise based on the services used and and provided.

Doors were decorated on the Dawn last month.

For the Nov 27th cruise we watched the video and checked in at our muster station. Very easy.

Same on Dawn a few weeks ago. No cough drops in the gift shop. Not sure about aspirin, but they did have motion sickness meds. The Medical center wanted $150 to see the doctor before they would prescribe anything. No thanks.

What an amazing trip! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Safe travels.

We were on the cruise just after yours. We tend to stay away from cruising during holidays and school breaks. Since it was a longer cruise and after the holiday, we were only about 80% full. It was mostly adults too, very few children. We boarded the ship at Terminal 2 in Tampa. This is an old and small terminal and could use some serious updating. They didn't start taking passengers in the terminal until 10:30am. This could be typical or a result of the late arrival and departure (after 11pm) of two ships the previous day due to fog. We were in one of the Family Suites on Deck 12. These suites were added to the ship about 10 years ago so they seem more modern. We loved the amount of space in the cabin and would book again if the price was right. We enjoyed having breakfast and lunch in Moderno, both the food and the service were fantastic. We ate dinner twice each at Cagney's and Le Bistro and were very happy with our meals. We had one dinner at La Cucina. The appetizers and dessert were great but the entrees were disappointing. I had the Shrimp Ravioli with Lobster Sauce...the sauce was too heavy and salty. My husband had the Pasta Carbonara...it was bland and had tiny bits of bacon. Overall, our experience on the Dawn was great. We had previously sailed on her in 2017 and 2018, and we would sail on her again.

We were on the Nov 27th sailing of the Dawn. There were only a handful of chairs on the promenade deck. This was brought up at the Captain's Q&A and he stated it was a Coast Guard safety regulation. This is the muster area with the lifeboats, and in case of emergency the crew would have to clear all the deck chairs. On the newer ships, the Waterfront area (with all the comfy chairs) is a deck above the lifeboats, so it's not an issue there.

We were recently on the Dawn. I may be mistaken but I think I heard the Java Cafe staff say you can't use the Starbucks app. Not sure about gift cards.

I agree. We also had this wine at Le Bistro with the Dover Sole and Fruits de Mer.

Correct, and same for her sister ship the Star.

Probably not a lot of school children from Florida since they have spring break in March. Maybe northern schools or late college spring break? But I would think Port Canaveral and the east coast cruise ports would attract more families. If the prices for each of those weeks seems low and availability high, then it may not be attracting a lot of families.

Ship - Dawn Deck - 12 Stateroom # - 12512 Stateroom Category – Family Suite (SP) without a balcony Starboard or Port Side - Port Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – The stateroom was quiet when the ship was in fairly calm seas. When there was any side-to-side motion, there was a lot of creaking and rattling in the cabin. I'm not sure if this was because these cabins were later additions to the ship and weren't fitted as well. If you are sensitive to noises while you sleep you may want to bring earplugs. Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No. Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – There was no balcony in this stateroom. There are four huge floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a great view of the surroundings. We had heard issues of condensation between the glass on these windows, but it looks like they may have been resealed and we did not see any condensation. Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - N/A. Was wind a problem? - No noise from the wind. It did amplify the side-to-side motion since Deck 12 is at the top of the ship. If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A Any specific problems with this cabin? - None. Any other comments? - We enjoyed the amount of space in this cabin for a longer voyage, and that it had a stand-alone shower. We would not hesitate to book this category again despite not having a balcony. If you have any mobility issues: 1. This stateroom was forward of the fwd elevators. There are two inclines in the hallway before you get to this stateroom. 2. There is a significant step up into the bathroom. The bathroom is raised up above the level of the stateroom. It is 6.25 inches (the same height as my cellphone).

We recently completed a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Dawn. As noted above, the Dawn is a smaller ship and does not have many of the features that make the newer ships attractive to families. The kids pool in the back of the ship is very outdated. During the officers Q&A, the Captain mentioned that during the next drydock (2024, I think) there were plans to modernize the kids pool and children's facilities. He did not elaborate if that meant they would be updated or removed (like they were with on the Spirit). The furnishings, carpets, etc. were all in great shape. Nothing looked worn or tired. The theater shows consisted mainly of singers, comedians, jugglers, magicians and acrobats. There was a larger show called Elements, but don't expect the big Broadway shows you'll find on the newer ships. We enjoy the smaller NCL ships and would not hesitate booking a cruise on her again!

We just got off the Dawn on Sunday. We stayed in one of the Family Suites (SP) without a balcony. Embark lunch was at Cagney's. All other daily breakfasts and lunches were in Moderno. Here are the menus and a photo of the breakfast cold buffet. Breakfast Lunch Breakfast cold buffet

Same for us the last week in October.

Just watched mine for the Dawn.

We hardly get off the ship anymore, especially in the Caribbean since we've been so many times. We now enjoy the quiet of an empty ship on port days.

Were there any security concerns during your tours in Egypt and Jordan?

Same here.