Wonderful Dawn Repo

[VonChap]

We had a great time on the 2010 NCL Dawn Repo cruise! The weather was great, the beaches in each port were wonderful, the crew fantastic and our Cruise Critic Roll Call was awesome. Over the 12 day cruise, we only had one problem. I will mention the single problem at the bottom of this review….because it didn’t hamper our enjoyment of the cruise at all.

Cruise Critic: The Roll Call for this cruise was the best of any of our past cruises. We met many people and made some new friends. Thanks to John for organizing the Meet and Greet and the Group Dinner. The Group Dinner was the nicest that I have attended on any cruise ship. The special menu was fantastic, especially the prime rib. Thanks to Chris and Lee for organizing the Slot Pull. Thanks to Barbara for making the name tags. Cruise Critic and the people we met on this cruise really added to our enjoyment of the cruise. (And thanks to everyone who loaned us clothes! It was much appreciated) We plan to keep in touch with our new friends and hope to cruise with them again soon.

Food: We really enjoyed the food on this cruise. I am Gluten Free and will be writing a separate review about the GF food on the Dawn. We only ate in the MDR twice but really enjoyed the lamb shank. We also created our own plate of lobster and steak on lobster night in the MDR. We went to the buffet three nights. I loved the Caesar Salad with grilled-to-order salmon and my DH enjoyed the pasta bar and the Indian selection. We both liked the curried chicken. We had room service one night, and I thought that the Greek salad was nice. Since I am GF, the Maitre D in the MDR also sent a GF pizza and a GF cheeseburger and fries to our cabin during the cruise. Both were great. (It’s not easy to make a good GF pizza, but the Dawn GF chef did a great job. GF fries are hard to find at a land-based restaurant but the kitchen made them several times for me on the cruise.)

Since I am GF, we ate many breakfasts and lunches in the MDR. Service was fast. One of my favorites was the portobello mushroom with goat cheese for lunch. Even on a 12 day cruise, we did not get bored with the new static menu for lunch. There were many options. DH and I liked the cobb salad, shrimp Caesar salad, cheeseburgers, pasta selections, steak and several of the sandwiches. (sandwiches served to me on GF buns and GF pasta with sauces) I had ice cream for dessert for lunch or chocolate mousse. DH tried all the lunch desserts.

We did eat in each of the Specialty Restaurants during the cruise. The steak, shrimp cocktail and sides at Cagney’s are always a favorite. I had the lobster at Bamboo and it was fantastic. We both liked the lettuce wraps at Bamboo—they made me a special GF batch. At the Tex Mex restaurant, I had the lobster tacos and DH had the ribs. Lamb chops at Le Bistro was one of my favorite dinners of the entire cruise. The GF chef made me a special dessert at each dinner.

There were several special dinners and brunches during the 12 day cruise. (fee) Since we had already found a bounty of food, we did not attend any of these events but heard rave reviews. We were just “fooded-out” and had to stop eating! There is plenty of good to excellent food on the Dawn and a lot of it is included in your cruise price. Read the reviews and make a list before you cruise.

Cabin: Our cabin was a mini suite, 11026. We enjoyed the mini suite and it was quiet. It is below the card and game room and we heard no noise from deck 12. Our cabin steward was helpful, quick and our cabin was always clean. I enjoyed being close to the Spa. We spent a lot of quiet time on our balcony.

Dawn Spa: I purchased the Spa Pass and went almost every day. Quiet and relaxing and only crowded on one sea day. I think that the pass is worth the extra fee. I also had one 75 minute mixed spa treatment (massage, facial, etc) . It was just OK—I probably would not do it again. I also had my hair styled and it was a positive experience.

Crew: Fantastic. Can’t say enough good things about the Dawn crew. A “hat tip” to Hugo. Matt Baker, CD, has lots of energy and spreads a great vibe around the entire ship. I also want to thank the chef and the entire kitchen and dining crew for a great Gluten Free cruise. They could not have been more helpful. A Maitre ‘d stopped by my table at every meal to make sure that I had my favorite GF foods.

Entertainment: So much entertainment on the Dawn that we only saw half of the shows that we wanted to see. Music is everywhere. All of it is good to excellent.

Ports: Since we had visited these ports before, we planned a Beach Day in each port.

Samana: We did the Cayo Beach Break through NCL. Yes, we do think that this excursion is now over-priced by NCL. We did enjoy the day at the beach. The best part was sharing grilled rock lobster with friends. ($17 per person for two lobsters each and side dishes) It was the best grilled lobster that I have ever had. The island was not crowded and there were plenty of chairs. A relaxing day with friends can not be beat.

Curacao: We took a taxi to Mambos Beach. The taxi was $15-$20 each way for up to 4 people. The entry fee into Mambos is $3 per person. They do charge for beach chairs and shade beds. We rented a shade bed for $15—at least 4 people can sit on the bed. The beach is beautiful, the water calm and crystal blue. We had a group of Cruise Critic Roll Callers at the beach and lots of fun, swimming and conversation. After the beach, we took a taxi back and walked into the fort to share plates of nachos and frozen mojitos. If you are visiting Curacao, you must try the frozen mojitos, served in the outdoor cafes in the fort area. Bright green with mint and Yum! DH did some shopping and bought some cigars. ( I went back to the ship at 3PM to wait for a special delivery to our cabin…see below)

Aruba: We rented a Jeep in Aruba from American Rent a Car. Their rental kiosk is just outside of the port building door. I rented the jeep about 5 months in advance of the cruise for $99. We drove around Aruba and took photos while visiting some of our favorite spots. Roads are not well marked in Aruba so allow ample time. We drove around early, before the beach, and then again in the afternoon. We were lucky to also get day passes to the Renaissance private island. If you can get the passes, they are $75 per person for the day. The number of passes available depends on the occupancy of the hotel. (We were lucky to get the passes from a friend in Aruba-Thank You) You take a water taxi, included in the price, from the hotel to the private island. Beautiful island. No crowds, no venders, calm water, lots of chairs, good food and great drinks. After we returned the rental car at 5PM, we walked back to the Renaissance for dinner at the pool bar with a sunset view. Nice view and an enjoyable atmosphere. We enjoyed frozen drinks and bar food at a reasonable price. (Happy hour from 5PM-6PM with 2-for-1 drinks) This is a beautiful hotel complex and worth considering for a land vacation to Aruba.

Roatan: We went to Maya Key through NCL. DH and I had been to this private island when it was called Fins and Flippers and was only $20 a person. Now, you can only get on this private island if you go through NCL and it costs more. We still love this island. It has great snorkeling, right off the shore. Saw lots of fish—even some sharks (don’t worry, they were harmless and small but DH is now known as Shark Bait on our Roll Call) The excursion did include a lunch buffet that was very good. Ample food and cheap drinks. Our Roll Call group enjoyed sitting in the provided chairs under the trees for shade. There were about 100 people on the private island, but it did not feel crowded at all. Nice gift shop with inexpensive pottery, shirts, bags and hats. We took the excursion boat back and looked around the new port area. Completely different than our last trip to Roatan in 2008. The port area is clean, organized and does have some new shops. We will be going back to Maya Key soon!

Cozumel: When we booked this cruise, we were looking forward to going back to our favorite island, Caye Caulker, off the coast of Belize. Since the Dawn is experiencing engine problems, the port was changed to Cozumel. Within 48 hours of the announcement, our Cruise Critic Roll Call had 50+ people signed up for Nachi Cocum in Cozumel. We had a blast at this private beach. Open Bar and a great menu of food included in the $49 per person fee. This private beach only serves 100 people per day. Not crowded, nice beach, calm water, nice pool with hot tub. You can dine either in the shaded restaurant or they will deliver lunch to your beach chair. Our group enjoyed nachos, tacos, grilled chicken, grilled fish and shrimp, cheesecake, coconut ice cream and even hot dogs. Probably the best $49 we spent on the entire cruise. We will return!

The One “Complication”….

Back in April, I missed a sailing on the NCL Gem to the Greek Isles. I was one of those unlucky people stuck in an airport due to the volcanic ash cloud. The ship sailed without me. This cruise on the Dawn was my make-up cruise. (thank goodness from travel insurance) I told myself over the months that I would be happy to just get on the Dawn before it sailed.

The NYC pier was crazy busy with both the NCL Jewel and the Dawn at the same dock and sharing the same building. We quickly got on the ship and had a fantastic sail-away party with Cruise Critic friends. (Thanks for planning the party) I did notice that our luggage was not at our cabin by dinner. When we returned from dinner at 8:30….still no luggage. I mentioned the missing luggage to our room steward, Sheraton, who immediately started making calls. I went to the reception desk and spoke to a manager. Within a few hours of looking for our luggage, it became known that our luggage was enjoying a vacation on the Jewel. (even though we had two Dawn luggage tags on each bag) Some of the Jewel’s luggage was on the Dawn too.

Again, thank goodness for travel insurance that includes “luggage delay insurance”. By the next day, NCL corporate had made a really stupid offer of compensation. Too low to even mention here. Thanks to the crew on the Dawn and their email writing, NCL corporate called back and made a much better offer of compensation. After 24 hours, our trip insurance kicked-in and we purchased some clothes in the ship’s gift shop. Not a lot of choice in the gift shop so NCL offered free laundry. A BIG Thanks to our Cruise Critic friends for loaning us clothes. Five days later, our luggage showed up and was delivered to our cabin. The Jewel dropped it off in Florida and it was flown to us.

Funny Side Note: NCL gave us some free crew logo t-shirts to wear on the first cruise day. They say, “NCL Sports Crew” on the front. It was funny to wear them and get lots of questions from guests about the NCL sports program. (If you know us, you know that this is funny—we are not sports people. We are chubby cruisers) We were happy to get out of those shirts as soon as the gift shop opened.

I stayed very calm and laid-back through the whole experience. I had promised myself that I would be happy if I just got on the Dawn before it sailed. I was on the Dawn, enjoying the company of some great Cruise Critic friends and I went to dinner in jeans for 4 nights without a problem. It’s just another Travel Insurance story. (And thank goodness for Freestyle. Jeans were no problem in any of the restaurants—even the MDR) Thanks for all the support that we received from the NCL Dawn crew and our friends.

Also, a big thanks to my Personal Cruise Consultant at NCL. Wish that I was allowed to post his name here. He jumped in and helped us wade through all the paperwork. Our PCC has been great to work with and showed his customer service skills again.

In April, I used Travel Guard through American Express. For this cruise, I used the travel insurance offered by NCL. Already, I can say that I prefer Travel Guard. Just easier to deal with and quick to provide a solution.

We had a fantastic cruise and we are already planning two NCL cruises for next year. If you have any questions, I can be reached at kmchppll at gmail dot com. Just remember, a cruise is what you make it and it sure beats being at work! Do your research on CC and join your Roll Call and Have Fun!

[tiff123]

Great review. Glad you were able to make the most out of that - I think I would have been lost without my clothes! ;)

[catlady461]

We just returned from the 10/10/10 cruise and we had a great time.

 

Glad you had a good time despite the luggage mishap. Many others would be blaming NCL and expecting some compensation(or never cruising with them again).

 

We have nothing but positive things to say about our third time on the Dawn and are awaiting our B2B on the Epic next October.

[Ms belp]

Great review VonChap. I'm glad you had a make-up cruise. You obviously had a great time. I especially appreciate your tips on what to see and do at the ports.

 

Chris & I don't have another cruise planned until next August for my birthday. Hopefully, there won't be any volcanic activity prior to our arrival. Hawaii. :eek:

[darrengs]

Many others would be blaming NCL and expecting some compensation(or never cruising with them again).

 

 

I am curious but who is at fault?

[cruiznagainandagain]

Loved reading your review! I also can feel for you as I have also had my luggage delayed on a previous Celebrity cruise in the Mediterranean. Left Venice and it finally caught up with us in Greece. 7 days later! Had my formals in them. Couldn't fit in one as it was already to tight!:eek: Love your remarks about the NCL Sports Crew Tees! What a gas! Funny & informative review! Just the kind that I like.:D

[catlady461]

As far as I understand the baggage handlers(dock workers) are employed by NYC(Manhattan Pier) not NCL. So if the luggage ended up on the wrong ship it is due to a baggage handler not NCL.

[EileenN]

You have written a great review...and look great in a tee shirt.

[jascp1962]

Thanks for the review. Would you care to describe the spa? We were on the Epic recently and purchased the spa pass. The Epic has two saunas, three whirlpool/jetted/bubbling areas, surrounding, three 8 ft tall water jets each shaped like a giant bathtub faucett that flow like a fire hose, and ample lounge chairs with some on the aft deck. What is the Dawn's like?

 

The spas are quite the mystery as to what they are like on the various ships.

[npsh]

Good post VonChap...... we were on exactly the same cruise and I thought of submitting a review but yours took the words right out of my mouth and I certainly couldn't have written it any better. We did the beach thing at all of the ports and nothing dissappointed us at all. This cruise was fantastic, notwithstanding the fact it was our 30th anniv trip and I even celebrated my 59th on the 21st(last night of the cruise) at Cagney's. We are impressed with NCL and took advantage of the last day $250.00 cruise stateroom deposit as we are planning to be back with NCL in the near future.

 

A+ to NCL and the Dawn

 

:):D

[VonChap]

I am curious but who is at fault?

 

The dock workers are not employees of NCL, or any cruise line. All cruise lines are very limited to any assistance that they can provide on the actual dock while luggage is being loaded.

 

Make sure that you travel with insurance that has "baggage delay".

 

-Kim

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

Thank you for the review, I can't wait to be on the dawn in December!

[tiff123]

This may be a stupid question... We have the small rolling luggage that we are trying to fit all of our clothes in - (we are sailing on the Dawn in 23 days!!! :D). If I can accomplish such a feat will it be possible to "carry on" our luggage onto the ship like you would onto the airplane? I didn't buy any insurance and don't know what I'd do with 2 kids and a husband without clothes!!!:eek:

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

This may be a stupid question... We have the small rolling luggage that we are trying to fit all of our clothes in - (we are sailing on the Dawn in 23 days!!! :D). If I can accomplish such a feat will it be possible to "carry on" our luggage onto the ship like you would onto the airplane? I didn't buy any insurance and don't know what I'd do with 2 kids and a husband without clothes!!!:eek:

 

Yup, if you bring a carry-on you can bring it right on the ship. I know I always have, you just have to lug it around for a few hours until they allow you to go to the cabins. :)

[tiff123]

So I wouldn't be able to leave it next to our cabin door? I know that is how they typically leave them when they come on the ship right? Lugging them around would be kind of a pain since we plan to head right to the Lido deck!

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

So I wouldn't be able to leave it next to our cabin door? I know that is how they typically leave them when they come on the ship right? Lugging them around would be kind of a pain since we plan to head right to the Lido deck!

 

I never thought to do that, but yes I suppose you could do so. I don't think I would be able to do that, for fear that it might get stolen/tampered with. I know it is the same procedure, but I like knowing my things are safe. Trust issues I guess lol :rolleyes:

[caribbeanboy]

One of these days I will go and try one of the mojito's. Btw I saw your guys pulling out of the channel..amazing sight.

[tiff123]

I never thought to do that, but yes I suppose you could do so. I don't think I would be able to do that, for fear that it might get stolen/tampered with. I know it is the same procedure, but I like knowing my things are safe. Trust issues I guess lol :rolleyes:

 

 

I know... I thought the same thing myself... but then again, when you come to your cabin that is where they are sitting! ;) We won't be smuggling any booze so there isn't really anything to steal! lol....:D

[VonChap]

So I wouldn't be able to leave it next to our cabin door? I know that is how they typically leave them when they come on the ship right? Lugging them around would be kind of a pain since we plan to head right to the Lido deck!

 

The main doors to the cabin halls are closed. Most likely, you will not be able to get onto the hall where your cabin is located. On the Dawn, you can leave your roller bag at one of the bars with a call tag until the cabins are ready.

 

Just remember, the carry-on has to fit through the X-Ray machine at check-in. So, basically, it can be no larger than an airline carry-on bag.

 

We did have a carry-on bag but it was mostly filled with my husband's CPap machine, a laptop and a few other things--not that many clothes.

 

-Kim

[snorklinbarb]

Hi Kim,

What a fantastic recap of our repo cruise! Gee, I found myself nodding to my head to everything you wrote. What a great CC group of Dawnados we had and how special Hugo and his team made it for everyone.

 

When I was on the "Behind the Scenes" tour, one lady was asking about the gluten-free situation. Angelito the chef showed us around the galleys and pointed out the completely separate room for GF only. It's really great to hear stories like yours with first hand experience of how to make this work so well. Sounds like you really dined on some specially prepared items in addition to many things off the regular menu.

 

Not on the repo but one trip we dined with a couple in Teppanyaki. She was allergic to eggs and a few other things. Her meal was cooked separately and the spatulas and other utensils were changed out for her. She was full of compliments like you for NCL's care of "special needs" eaters!

 

Glad you were eventually reunited with your luggage but I know that's not fun to go through. After muster drill I returned to my cabin only to find 4 suitcases in front of the door with correct luggage tags....only they weren't mine! After another hour had passed, I had flashes of my bag going to the wrong ship since I read about it once on CC. Was so sorry to hear later, after they did find my bag, that yours had gone to Jewel. You must have quite a tee shirt collection by now! Your "Sports Crew" tees will be a conversation piece for cruises to come!:)

 

Very nice meeting you guys and all the others on the X-X-X Dawn repo!:D

[datadawg]

 

Glad you were eventually reunited with your luggage but I know that's not fun to go through. After muster drill I returned to my cabin only to find 4 suitcases in front of the door with correct luggage tags....only they weren't mine! After another hour had passed' date=' I had flashes of my bag going to the wrong ship since I read about it once on CC. Was so sorry to hear later, after they did find my bag, that yours had gone to Jewel. You must have quite a tee shirt collection by now! Your "Sports Crew" tees will be a conversation piece for cruises to come!:)

[/quote']

 

 

And this is why while Jamie was looking at me like I was a paranoid freak and the baggage guys were looking like they wanted to throw me off the dock, I asked over and over and over if I was putting our luggage on the right loading cart. I really could see my luggage ending up on the Jewel or even on that The World ship that was next to us and never being seen again. I am just unlucky like that.

 

And while I may have had issues while on the cruise one of the brightest spots was that we had the best cabin stewards one could ask for and wish I could have packed them on the last day to take home with me.

[VonChap]

Hi Kim' date='

 

Glad you were eventually reunited with your luggage but I know that's not fun to go through. After muster drill I returned to my cabin only to find 4 suitcases in front of the door with correct luggage tags....only they weren't mine! After another hour had passed, I had flashes of my bag going to the wrong ship since I read about it once on CC. Was so sorry to hear later, after they did find my bag, that yours had gone to Jewel. You must have quite a tee shirt collection by now! Your "Sports Crew" tees will be a conversation piece for cruises to come!:)

 

Very nice meeting you guys and all the others on the X-X-X Dawn repo!:D[/quote']

 

Yep, we have a huge collection of NCL t-shirts now, including the limited edition Pink Hot Party shirt.

 

I hope to see you again on a cruise soon!

 

-Kim

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

The main doors to the cabin halls are closed. Most likely, you will not be able to get onto the hall where your cabin is located. On the Dawn, you can leave your roller bag at one of the bars with a call tag until the cabins are ready.

 

Just remember, the carry-on has to fit through the X-Ray machine at check-in. So, basically, it can be no larger than an airline carry-on bag.

 

We did have a carry-on bag but it was mostly filled with my husband's CPap machine, a laptop and a few other things--not that many clothes.

 

-Kim

 

Great point, I did not think of that. I guess because I had never tried to do it!

[ks&ks]

Hi Kim,

Welcome back!! I'm so glad you had a wonderful cruise. It sounds like they did a fabulous job with your gf food. Isn't amazing how many safe options there are? I look forward to reading you gf review as well.

 

We had looked at doing beach clubs as well, but weren't sure about the food options etc. We're you able to find gf options at the beach clubs?

 

Thanks!:)

[mr&mrscruiselover]

Great, positive review!

 

Sherri and Clay