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First time on NCL, have a couple of questions


sweetsunshine74
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My husband and I will be sailing on the Dawn out of Tampa next weekend. We've only been on one cruise before (3.5 yrs ago - Carnival). NCL will be a brand new experience for us, and we've heard that we'll probably like it better. :)

 

We have booked a guaranteed oceanview cabin. When do they usually assign staterooms? Will we know what we're getting prior to boarding day? Any chance we can upgrade to a balcony for a low cost by calling our NCL rep? (he told us to stay in touch with him regarding possible upgrades - he mentioned maybe $100 pp for the entire trip for the upgrade - but we haven't called him yet). I received an email about bidding on upgrades, but it looks like you have to bid pretty high for it to even be considered "fair."

 

What is the storage space like in the Dawn oceanview cabins? If I bring a 24-26" suitcase, will I be able to store it under the bed when it's empty? How much closet space is there for hanging dresses, etc? Should I bring one of those mesh shoe holders for the bathroom, or is there enough shelf or counter space in the bathroom for storing toiletries, etc?

 

What kinds of activities are there on sea days? Enough to do without being bored? Does the ship seem crowded? (When we sailed on Carnival Valor in June 2014, the ship seemed very crowded - in fact, it was difficult to find a table to eat at, or a hot tub to jump in, and we often had to wait for a spot to open up).

 

I'm sure I'll think of more questions, but I'll start with these! Lol :D

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You certainly won't feel crowded, especially this time of year. There is 4 hot tubs around the pool, but there is another on deck 13 at the front of the ship that a lot of people don't know about. We've never sailed Carnival but have had numerous people tell us NCL is a step up. Dawn has Los Lobos which is very good Mexican, but it is a pay venue. We also like Le Bistro, French food, also extra charge. There are lots of assorted activities on Sea Days, most free some cost like Bingo etc. I'd gladly jump on with you if I could, of course Your milage may vary.....

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I sailed the Dawn to Bermuda last June. One of my biggest complaints is the lack of storage space. It drove me CRAZY. We were in a midship mini suite balcony. There were 3 of us. We could have used more closet space. There are shelves to one side of the closet but it is VERY dark so I would use my phone flashlight to see what was on the shelves. Hubby put his mostly empty suitcase standing up in the closet. My 1/2 full suitcase went under the bed. DS 20 suitcase stood mostly full in the corner at the foot of the bed. There is no dresser/draws to put things in. While talking about cabin, DS son bed was the double couch that folds out and sits on the floor as a bed. It is very difficult to get to the balcony with the bed open. Second cabin complaint, and I should have known better but didn’t see any complaints on my cruise critic search, is that we were under the lido... the scratching chairs OMG. Never again!

 

Other than cabin complaints we had a blast!!!

 

I’ll second the O’Sheehans comment. I’m not a wing person but DH/DS loved them. Also learned from DS that the place is hopping, even at 3am[emoji57]. Have fun!

 

 

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I've never found storage to be a problem, but have only had 2 people in a cabin. We've found ample room under the bed for suitcases and other assorted items.

 

Regarding the dark closet, most NCL ships have a light in the closet. If memory serves, it is in the back toward the top. The switch is a bit tricky to find, but it is there.

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Empty suitcases go under the bed of course!

 

CHECK THAT !

 

Suitcases (aka luggage) can and may be used for drawer storage space under a bed they don't have to be empty !

 

Check the space the life vests are in - push them aside to squeeze a few more inches of room.

Forget about bringing extra storage devices taking up space (and weight) - some you may not be able to use.

Plan your condensed wardrobe around the week of the cruise and not the whole year.

At least with NCL you don't have to pack all that formal gear after all it is FREESTYLE cruising.

Cut to the chase and wear (smart) casual stuff.

 

Convertible couch beds are usually not deployed until cabin steward turn down time in the early evening.

Of course you can direct the cabin steward to leave the bed open - but you are robbing yourself of space

needed to use the balcony without banged shins knees and ankles. Hopefully if you trip and fall you will

land on that open bed and artfully do a 3/4 gainer landing on a balcony lounger. LOL !

 

From an inside cabin to the balcony cabin there is not much difference in cabin space overall - at least not

until you get into a suite (not a mini-suite).

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We haven't been on the Dawn since 2012, way before the refurb, and other upgrades. We enjoyed the ship very much, and other than the Pearl, it is one of our favorite ships. We haven't been on a CCL ship since 2014ish, and found the experience between both NCL and CCL to be very similar (with the exception of the muster on CCL :().

There are two things that stand out about NCL to us, freestyle, and the overall vibe of their ships.

The only time you will hear the movement of chairs is if you have a mini suite (deck 11).

We only travel with carry on luggage, and there are just two of us, so storage is never an issue. We put our luggage under the bed.

The only time we felt "crowded" was embarkation day, and the day we disembarked.

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My husband and I will be sailing on the Dawn out of Tampa next weekend. We've only been on one cruise before (3.5 yrs ago - Carnival). NCL will be a brand new experience for us, and we've heard that we'll probably like it better. :)

 

NCL and Carnival are very similar. The cabins on Carnival are a little bit bigger but IMO they are better laid out on NCL. The food and amenities are similar, but Freestyle, which means you dine when and where you want makes NCL a little better.

 

We have booked a guaranteed oceanview cabin. When do they usually assign staterooms? Will we know what we're getting prior to boarding day? Any chance we can upgrade to a balcony for a low cost by calling our NCL rep? (he told us to stay in touch with him regarding possible upgrades - he mentioned maybe $100 pp for the entire trip for the upgrade - but we haven't called him yet). I received an email about bidding on upgrades, but it looks like you have to bid pretty high for it to even be considered "fair."

 

If you haven't created and logged into your ncl account you should do so today. Your cabin is probably assigned already. NCL has gone to the bidding system for upgrades so the chance of getting one inexpensively is pretty slim. You may have been upgraded when you booked.

 

 

What is the storage space like in the Dawn oceanview cabins? If I bring a 24-26" suitcase, will I be able to store it under the bed when it's empty? How much closet space is there for hanging dresses, etc? Should I bring one of those mesh shoe holders for the bathroom, or is there enough shelf or counter space in the bathroom for storing toiletries, etc?

 

There is plenty of space under the bed for suitcases. You might have to open them if they are too tall, but they will fit. There is plenty of closet space for a week long cruise, especially since you don't have to ever dress up unless you want to. IMO there is enough room in the cabin for storage without extra bags, etc, but some will say you need one. IMO the things you will have problem with, if you are like my wife is makeup.though there should be a place you can leave it out in the cabin.

 

 

What kinds of activities are there on sea days? Enough to do without being bored? Does the ship seem crowded? (When we sailed on Carnival Valor in June 2014, the ship seemed very crowded - in fact, it was difficult to find a table to eat at, or a hot tub to jump in, and we often had to wait for a spot to open up).

 

I think that you are going to find that there is plenty to do on sea days, but the ship is going to be like Valor. All mass market lines are crowded, but if you look you can find quiet spots.

 

 

I'm sure I'll think of more questions, but I'll start with these! Lol :D

 

My comments are in red above. Make sure that you create and log into your account at ncl.com ASAP.

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I received an email about bidding on upgrades, but it looks like you have to bid pretty high for it to even be considered "fair."

 

What would it hurt to put in a low/poor bid if that's in your price range?

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Check the space the life vests are in - push them aside to squeeze a few more inches of room.

 

 

We always move the life jackets under the bed to free up more closet shelf space. We put the life jackets back when we pack up on the last night.

 

You don’t need an over the door shoe holder, but a hanging toiletries bag can come in handy to free up valuable counter space in the bathroom. If there is a robe hook on the inside of the bathroom door, just hang it there.

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We always move the life jackets under the bed to free up more closet shelf space. We put the life jackets back when we pack up on the last night.

 

You don’t need an over the door shoe holder, but a hanging toiletries bag can come in handy to free up valuable counter space in the bathroom. If there is a robe hook on the inside of the bathroom door, just hang it there.

 

If you move the life jackets remember exactly where you put them in the unlikely event of an emergency.

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If you move the life jackets remember exactly where you put them in the unlikely event of an emergency.

 

 

 

Absolutely! I make sure that everyone in the cabin (and the room steward) knows where the life jackets have been placed. Since we usually sail with our son, I actually feel better, since he can reach under the bed, but not up to the top shelf of the closet where the life jackets are often stored.

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I have another question: will the steward give us extra blankets for our room? We live in FL and keep our A/C at 80 degrees. I don't like being cold. Last time we cruised, the only way we could keep our room warm enough was opening our balcony door. This time we won't have a balcony, so I'm wondering if I should pack a fleece blanket? I don't want to use up suitcase space if they'll give us extra blankets, though.

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I have another question: will the steward give us extra blankets for our room? We live in FL and keep our A/C at 80 degrees. I don't like being cold. Last time we cruised, the only way we could keep our room warm enough was opening our balcony door. This time we won't have a balcony, so I'm wondering if I should pack a fleece blanket? I don't want to use up suitcase space if they'll give us extra blankets, though.

 

We have never had a problem getting an extra blanket or two for family members!

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