Explorer vs. NCL Dawn?

[wildernesslady]

I have cruised on the Enchantment and Freedom. Both are excellent and I know what RCCL has to offer. I'm pricing a trip for next summer; the Explorer is $5300 for 5 nights/4 people, the Dawn is $4200 for 7 nights/4 people. That is a big difference and I am getting 2 extra nights on the Dawn. I have never sailed on NCL and would like opinions from those that have done both. I would love to stay with RCCL, but am willing to change for less $ and longer vacation. We live near Philly and are trying to not fly or drive for a whole day to get to the port.

 

When is the best time to book a cruise? Are there any days that seem to have better rated? Thanks for any help.

[Host Kewlguy]

Personally, we would always choose the ship which spends the most time in Bermuda.

[Uconnfan]

I've been on the Dawn twice, both out of NY in winter months. Previously i was on the Empress of the Seas. SOOOOO the Dawn was huge to me. I did like the more casual eating atmosphere on the Dawn. Eating with strangers is uncomfortable for me. The shows were great and the room was always clean. I am booked for the Explorer in April. I'll have a better comparison then. But all in all, I like the Dawn. Easy drive to port and embarkation and debarking were easy. I think my review is still on the NCL boards if you search my username.

[cookmg40]

I have cruised on the Enchantment and Freedom. Both are excellent and I know what RCCL has to offer. I'm pricing a trip for next summer; the Explorer is $5300 for 5 nights/4 people, the Dawn is $4200 for 7 nights/4 people. That is a big difference and I am getting 2 extra nights on the Dawn. I have never sailed on NCL and would like opinions from those that have done both. I would love to stay with RCCL, but am willing to change for less $ and longer vacation. We live near Philly and are trying to not fly or drive for a whole day to get to the port.

 

When is the best time to book a cruise? Are there any days that seem to have better rated? Thanks for any help.

 

I have been on both ships several times. As for ship and cruiseline, I prefer RCI and Explorer. That being said, I did not like the 5 day Bermuda on Explorer. It is not enough time and is very expensive. I went in July and the seas were rough. With 5 days, you spend more time at sea than in Bermuda.

 

For the money and amount of time I would choose the Dawn. Food is very subjective so I won't say which one I prefer, but you must be prepared to try the different restaurants on NCL (some at an additional charge). Service on RCI is MUCH better than on NCL. I found the entertainment on NCL to be better than on RCI. The staterooms on the Dawn are smaller than on RCI. So there is a give and take.

 

A cruise is what you make it - and I would rather have additional days (at $1100 savings) to make it a great vacation.

[debshomespun]

2 extra days on the ship, and about $1,000. less money! I would go with NCL. We are going on the Dawn this sunday for 14 nights. We have sailed the NCL Pearl, and it was a very good cruise. The food was very good. Like the other poster stated, it was nice to have the more casual atmosphere. We are not taking formal clothes this trip. Going for lots of R&R.

 

We have tried several other cruise lines and ships, and now, we book for the ship and itinerary, not the cruise line. I think you will have a wonderful cruise on the Dawn to Bermuda.

[yogimax]

I love RCCL and am Diamond.

 

However, honestly, two extra days and save $1000 - go NCL.

[green eyed lady]

We've done both Explorer and Dawn. We hated the Dawn :eek: Service wasn't very good all around the ship and we didn't like freestyle dining. We love Explorer and are going on her for the 3rd time next Sept on a 5 day to Bermuda. With that being said, I think the price you would be paying for your 5-day is insane! Almost $1100 pp for only five days? I would look into Carnival. We're going on the Pride for New Years and we got a great rate and it's a holiday sailing! We love RCCL but sometimes their rates are just way too high that I would rather try something else. Good Luck!

[bedfordmom]

We've done both Explorer and Dawn. We hated the Dawn :eek: Service wasn't very good all around the ship and we didn't like freestyle dining. We love Explorer and are going on her for the 3rd time next Sept on a 5 day to Bermuda. With that being said, I think the price you would be paying for your 5-day is insane! Almost $1100 pp for only five days? I would look into Carnival. We're going on the Pride for New Years and we got a great rate and it's a holiday sailing! We love RCCL but sometimes their rates are just way too high that I would rather try something else. Good Luck!

 

I have also done both ships and I slightly prefer the Explorer; (service, food, Bayonne vs NYC) but if were you, I would go with the Dawn given the longer days and reduced price. Its a beautiful ship.

[Ocean Boy]

Explorer is one of my favorite ships. I love the Voyager class. However, I would not do a 5 night cruise to Bermuda. It just does not give you enough time to really see that beautiful country. I have not been on the Dawn but have friends who have been and have also sailed RCI. They had nothing bad to say about the Dawn at all. Remember too, that on Bermuda cruises you spend a day and a half each way cruising the rest of the time the ship pretty much acts as your hotel that you come and go from. Bermuda cruises are VERY different from Caribbean cruises.

 

If I were in your situation it would be a pretty easy call for me. Less money for more time in Bermuda would be my way to go.

[theshortchef]

I did the Dawn to Bermuda last October and just got off the Explorer (to Canada) on Saturday.

 

Both cruiselines are good and have different strengths. For us, we prefer NCL. Love freestyle and the specialty restaurants.

 

I would pick the Dawn in a red hot minute. And its longer and less expensive ... life is good, enjoy!

[wildernesslady]

Thanks for the help. We just got off the Freedom 2 weeks ago so it is hard to not compare it to that. I think the extra time in Bermuda would be great. We did my time dining and loved it so freestyle will be fine with us. Also, we won't mind not having a formal night.

[kewcruiser]

We actually just got off both of these ships within the last month. Our personal opinion.... Explorer hands down. Here is a quick comparison from our point of view (which will be completely different for someone elses)...

 

Size/Decor - the Dawn was smaller and felt very enclosed to us. We liked the larger open areas on the Explorer, and even when inside didn't feel like we were in a hallway. The painted hallways on the Dawn were neat and there was always something to look at when walking around the ship.

 

Food - the specialty restaurants on both ships are very good. We ate at 4 on the Dawn and all were delicious, as well as Portifinos on the Explorer. I would give the edge to Explorer though in the dining room and on the buffet. We might have ordered the wrong thing, or just had off meals, but we thought the food on the Dawn, outside of the specialty restaurants, was sub-par.

 

Room - we were in an interior on both ships. The room was larger on the Explorer, but the bathroom was larger on the Dawn. I'll call this a wash because both are nice and plenty of room for sleeping and getting changed.

*We did get to visit the Garden Villa, and it is absolutely beautiful!

 

Staff - both were very nice and were helpful if we needed anything. I would get the edge to Explorer though because they always just seemed to go that one extra step to make sure we had everything we wanted. They always had a smile on their face and seemed to love what they were doing. Some of the Dawn crew looked overworked and tired.

 

Bermuda - 3 days is still not enough time to see Bermuda. We will definitely be going back one day. For this reason, the Dawn is a great choice because you get 3 full days there to explore the island.

 

Smoking - we felt that in several areas on the Dawn it was very smokey. You are permitted to smoke on both ships in designated areas, but on NCL you can also smoke in your stateroom. We didn't smell smoke in our room, but did feel that there were more smokers on board because of the policy. Yes, this could have just been the week we sailed on both ships, so please take this with a grain of salt. It could also be that the ventilation on the Explorer is a little bit better. Not sure, but an observation that we made.

 

Entertainment - Both are pretty good. The production shows on both are what they are, but entertaining for 45 min. The comedians and magicians on both were good. Bernie Martini (Dawn) and the one singer on the Explorer are both very good. I'd call it a wash on this one too.

 

Those are the top things that come to mind. It was very easy for us to compare, since we did the cruises 2 weeks apart and everything was fresh.

 

Nothing I have said is worth it ruining a vacation over. Whichever cruise you choose, you will absolutely love Bermuda... it is a wonderful island and the people are fantastic!!!!! Have a great trip! :)

[kewcruiser]

Sorry, forgot to add one more thing that we will always consider when deciding between cruise lines... honoring price drops. We always watch our vacations, and were disappointed when we learned that NCL doesn't honor price drops after final payment. RCI honors price drops until 72 hours before sailing. There is no one to blame but ourselves for not knowing this so in the end it did not matter. We were fine with what we paid, but it is something to keep in mind. The extra $500 would have been nice towards our bar bill... :D

[cruisin4kicks]

We're D+ on RCI but have done both RCI Explorer and NCL Dawn. RCI is our cruise line of choice but for a $1,000 difference and 2 more days, we would take the Dawn.

 

Everybody has their own opinions about what ships they sail on. I like that NCL grills hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst, steak, ribs, etc every day by the pool (at least they did when we were on it). RCI doesn't do that. We did My Time Dining the on RCI and enjoyed it. That's pretty much the same as Freestyle Dining on NCL.

 

We had a mini-suite on the Dawn and a junior-suite on the Explorer. I thought both cabins were more than ample.

 

Overall, we enjoyed our cruise very much on the Dawn and wouldn't hesitate to cruise on her again.

 

Tim