Issues with the Dawn

[mercede70]

I am scheduled to depart from Miami on Friday and after reading these reviews on CC, I am actually nervous. Can anyone put my fears to rest and let me know how the ship sailed the past few weeks. I have read issues with the engines are making the ship very unstable and slow and there have been fires and leaks all over the ship.

 

Also, is the food as bad as it appears through these reviews, or is it maybe just exaggerated? Is there an adult only area on board, and if not-where is the best spot on the ship to get a little peace and quiet. I sailed on Car, RC, and last year Princess, and found the adult only areas the place I spent most of my time. My husband loved this southern carib itinerary, so I booked it, but now I am really worried we are in for a scary cruise experience. Any reassurance would be grateful.

 

Michele

[Epic_Bear]

I've been on the Dawn twice: January 2008 and December 2009, and am going a third time August 2011. It was looking a little worn in 2009, carpets, missing elevator buttons, but nothing that ruined the trip.

 

We had great service, and the food was fine. Good buffet selection, main dining rooms were yummy, and we liked the Mexican place too. We aren't picky, so as long as the food is hot and the beer was cold, life was good.

 

I don't remember about an Adult's Only area, sorry.

[armfool]

Just off the Dawn Sunday. To be honest we were a bit disappointed at first. The ship is looking a little tired and goes into dry dock soon.

However we a great cruise anyway. The engines are now working fine and the ship is very steady even in the moderatly rough seas we had.

The food is good and in the buffet there is a lot of choice. In the main dining rooms the menu is more or less the same each day but still good.

We ate in the Japanese room and in the Salsa as well. They are both very good.

Like anywhere you take the rough with the smooth and enjoy!!! The comments in this forum tend to be a bit extreme sometimes and you have to make up your own mind in the end.

Hope my cliches and comments help and not confuse. Alex

[npsh]

I have to admit on our Dawn repo from NYC last October, the ship did show signs of wear and tear. Nothing glaring, mind you but if you look hard enough, examples are evident. In my view, that has to be expected considering the constant going this ship (and all others) do. Having said that, cleanliness wasn’t an issue I saw on the Dawn as the staff was constantly out and about picking up discarded containers, trays and the like – and we all know some people can be slobs. The decks were being cleaned on a daily basis as well. We found food good in all venues; then again dining (eating) for us isn’t a high priority as others place it as evident from the number of overweight/obese folks on board. Sad to see, then again it is their cruise and life – nuff said!!

 

I wasn’t aware of any specified adult only sections but we found a spot in front of the ship near the hot tub to be secluded, think it was on deck 13. Gets breezy there though…….. wish I was back on the good ship Dawn.

 

Pleasant cruising

[waytogofromhere]

I am also leaving on the Dawn on Friday 3/11. I have read many stories and was a bit nervous, but right now I am so happy just to be leaving and going on vacation. I am going into the situation with my expectations a little lower and hopefully things will be just fine. I certainly will not let little things spoil this vacation.

[darrengs]

There is still an engine down since last August, but the issue from a few weeks ago where another engine went down was corrected. The ship is showing its age, when we were on it this past August (when it blew the engine), we did encounter several days where our toilet wouldn't flush for hours at a time. As well as several leaks throughout the ship.

 

In the recent threads about the Dawn it has been pointed out several times that you must go on a cruise without any expectations of port stops. So if you understand that you may miss ports then you should have a good time.

[tlm]

We were on the Feb 11 sailing of the Dawn.

 

During the whole cruise, I only saw one bucket beside a stairwell. I purposely looked for them because of what I had read on CC before we left.

 

There was one elevator that was having problems. The others worked fine. Sometimes they were slow, but that depended on the time of day you were waiting. Something that I have seen on all cruise ships I have been on.

 

There was no Adult Only Area but I hardly noticed any children on board in comparison to other cruises we've been on. In fact the ship didn't feel crowded to us at all.

 

We ate in a lot of the speciality restaurants, Le Bistro, Cagney's and Teppanyaki's twice each and thought they were well worth the extra $. Because we were in suite, we had breakfast every morning in Cagney's and it was delicious. Only ate in Aquas (one of the MDRs) once and it was fine. The service there was a little impersonal but it was still quick and efficient. Had lunch at the buffet two or three times and the food was fine. Some things were great ( roast turkey carved) some things were not (pasta was undercooked), but that to me is typical of any buffet.

 

The service was terrific. All the crew were friendly and helpful. We only had one issue with someone and it was taken care of promptly.

 

We thought the ship was very clean and well maintained and we wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Toni

[Duncan28]

I haven't been on the Dawn in a while but I loved all the food while we there. We ate at the buffet and all the specialty restaurants (except Teppanyaki).

 

Does the Dawn have the spa like the Gem? If so, that would be an adult only area but you do have to purchase the spa pass. I didn't do it on the Dawn but I did for the Gem. However, I don't think I would do that again b/c the spa seemed more crowded and louder to me than some of the public areas. But to be fair, we do go on a sea day.

[mking8288]

For peace and quiet, you might want to scout out the normally uncrowded library and/or internet cafe (except on its last 2 days at sea, sometimes, as folks wanted to do online flight checkins/reconfirm bookings/print boarding passes, etc.) and sometimes, the card room. Deck 8 just up the atrium stairs above the lobby/reception area is usually not noisey, not as secluded with foot traffic and PA announcements every now and then.

 

An in-ear noise cancelling headset (compact, foldable ones will do) w. the MP3/smartphone combo will take care of any and all nearby noises for me, whether in flight or riding the bus or train, and on cruises - even while cat napping on the balcony with warm sea breezes .... ;)

 

Food is subjective, and while I'm disappointed with fewer choices & options for the Healthy Cooking/Lighter Choices being gone, there are always vegetarian and fish dishes in all the dining venue. And, as long they continue to serve fresh pineapples for breakfast to go along with eggs & things, plus OJ and coffee, I'm fine. But, do check out the "Full House" Breakfast served to you to order in BLue Lagoon, a great place for basic comfort food by your friendly server, open 23 hours a day except on the morning & afternoon of disembarkation/embarkation.

 

Not a "fan" of the buffet food in general, but it sure put to shame what we get served at work (medical center) cafeteria style with a "tray" year-round, minus the singing "washy washing & be happy" young ladies with the spray bottles. :cool:

 

Think positive and be happy, you are going on a CRUISE that everyone stuck at work will be envious of - dreams of calm seas, warm ocean breezes, someone else making up the room, changing the towels & turning down the beds at night, and taking out the garbage, filling up the ice bucket and the free ROOM SERVICE (just remember to tip them a few bucks, it will big SMILES and Thank You) if you don't want to step out into the quiet corridors .... :p

 

Enjoy your cruise !

[newmexicoNita]

I am scheduled to depart from Miami on Friday and after reading these reviews on CC, I am actually nervous. Can anyone put my fears to rest and let me know how the ship sailed the past few weeks. I have read issues with the engines are making the ship very unstable and slow and there have been fires and leaks all over the ship.

 

Also, is the food as bad as it appears through these reviews, or is it maybe just exaggerated? Is there an adult only area on board, and if not-where is the best spot on the ship to get a little peace and quiet. I sailed on Car, RC, and last year Princess, and found the adult only areas the place I spent most of my time. My husband loved this southern carib itinerary, so I booked it, but now I am really worried we are in for a scary cruise experience. Any reassurance would be grateful.

 

Michele

 

As for food, if you check the CC reviews, the last 7 with one exception have given the food 4 or 5 thumbs up. It couldn't get that much better. Even one review that gave the oveall rating only a 1, gave the food a 4 or 5. So I really don't know where you are getting the idea about the food being awful..??

 

As for the engine problems, this does not make the ship unsafe, it might mean having a port replaced with another, which, although is not what anyone wants, it happens.

 

I would relax and expect to have a good time. Please let us know, when you return how it went and good luck.

 

Nita

[guyver]

Just chiming in on the food. We think that the food quality and taste has steadily gotten better on NCL since we started cruising.

 

I know my clothes have never gotten looser over the span of a cruise!!:D

[cookiemaker]

We were on the 2/11 cruise to the southern caribbean on the Dawn. We had no complaints about the ship itself, we were in cabin 10096 and thorougly enjoyed our cruise experience. One elevator was never in use and there were a couple of buckets catching leaks, but other than that the ship seemed pretty good. There was a fire in the incenerator one night about 11:00 and all the cabins on the lower decks had to be evacuated and there were no serious problems or injuries. However, my issue with this cruise is that they took a crippled ship out to sea. They have been having trouble with the engines for several months. We were late leaving Miami by about 2 hours because of engine trouble. We missed our first port, they gave each cabin a $100 credit. We went on to Tortola, and Antigua at which time they informed everyone that they could not make it all the way to Barbados/ St. Kitts on the engine power they had so we missed these two ports and they took us to St. Maartens and St. Thomas in place of the last two ports - very disappointing to a lot of people as most had already been to these ports once or twice. They gave each cabin an additional $100 credit and a 10% off a future cruise if taken within a year. As one cruiser said, they can change ports when necessary, however, when they know they have had trouble with this engine before, to me they are taking a chance every time they send her out to sea. I don't feel that it was unsafe, but when you pick out an itinerary you don't want to go someplace where you have gone before. As have other cruisers stated before, the ship should go into dry dock sooner than later. The staff on the ship is very good and you will thoroughly enjoy your cruise director, Matt Baker. The staff did all they could to help make the cruise an enjoyable one. You will enjoy the entertainment and the food was very good. Salsa was very nice, however, Cagney's was not worth the $25/person charge. We had to send back one of our meals and another table near us was also having issues with their meat. All in all, it was enjoyable although somewhat disappointing in the fact that the two main ports we wanted to see we did not get to go to. We enjoyed being with our friends and the cruise experience. Even though it would have been disappointing, I wish NCL would have cancelled the cruise and we could have planned a different one and actually gone to where we planned. I hope you enjoy your cruise and hope you will not have any engine issues.

[BBTT]

1st let me say the Dawn was our first cruise from NYC back in 2004-our favorite ship after 8 cruises and we have been on her 3 times in the middle 90s. I did notice maintanance issues on her the second and third times we sailed on her and thought there "preventive maint" needed improvement. That being said she probably had one of the most demanding runs-NYC to Carribean for quite a few years-and by now I am sure she needs a more inclusive drydock than usual. Overall she is a great ship with a great staff and I am sure she will be great once her drydock in may.

[debshomespun]

Just got off the phone with one of my friends who got off the Dawn this Sunday. She has cruised 5 or 6 times in the past. Said the cruise was fabulous. The ship was great, the crew was great, and the food was good! Weather was outstanding, other than the last day, which it stormed and lots of people were seasick. They made it to all their ports as scheduled.

 

I am sorry the previous 9 night cruise had problems and didn't make it to the scheduled ports. I think NCL did the best they could, and if they had cancelled the cruise along with 1 or 2 more, to put the ship in drydock early, there would have been many more problems with people on those cruises. NCL was able to correct the problem for the next sailing. It is unfortunate that Cookiemaker and the others on the cruise missed 2 port stops. They were compensated $200. per cabin for the inconvenience. I think that is great compensation. They were on the ship, they had food and entertainment. If people want to go to a specific island, why don't they fly to that island for a stay. They are guaranteed to make it that way (but then again, there could be problems with airplanes and weather too). You book a cruise for just that, a cruise on a ship, with the ports being an added bonus!

[cynbar]

I haven't been on the Dawn yet, but I think the issue is that NCL sent out a ship that they knew in advance to be having engine issues. It seems to me that makes it a little different than missing ports due to weather, which we all know is a possibility on any voyage. Under those circumstances, I think I would be upset too. Hopefully upcoming cruises won't have the same issue before the Dawn heads for drydock in May.

[newmexicoNita]

Just chiming in on the food. We think that the food quality and taste has steadily gotten better on NCL since we started cruising.

 

I know my clothes have never gotten looser over the span of a cruise!!:D

 

We share you opinion. In the past 2 plus years we have seen an improvement or we feel we have anyway. 2 weeks ago we didn't have one thing that could not be rated as good or better.

 

Nita

[BBTT]

Overall due to finances and trying to keep fares competative I have noticed less than gourmet (or not what it used to be) on RCCL, CCL and NCL but overall good or better selection than what I am used to at home. Also keep in mind that all lines have minimal surcharge restaurants that offer some amazing entrees. I think you will not see this change as I am a restaurant manager and you see it everywhere...The economy is terible and I don't think you will EVER see cruiseline fare as you have in the past-How many times this month have you had a hot dog or burger or cheaper cut of meat on your own dinner table.:o

[vols_159]

We were on the 2/11 cruise to the southern caribbean on the Dawn. We had no complaints about the ship itself, we were in cabin 10096 and thorougly enjoyed our cruise experience. One elevator was never in use and there were a couple of buckets catching leaks, but other than that the ship seemed pretty good. There was a fire in the incenerator one night about 11:00 and all the cabins on the lower decks had to be evacuated and there were no serious problems or injuries. However, my issue with this cruise is that they took a crippled ship out to sea. They have been having trouble with the engines for several months. We were late leaving Miami by about 2 hours because of engine trouble. We missed our first port, they gave each cabin a $100 credit. We went on to Tortola, and Antigua at which time they informed everyone that they could not make it all the way to Barbados/ St. Kitts on the engine power they had so we missed these two ports and they took us to St. Maartens and St. Thomas in place of the last two ports - very disappointing to a lot of people as most had already been to these ports once or twice. They gave each cabin an additional $100 credit and a 10% off a future cruise if taken within a year. As one cruiser said, they can change ports when necessary, however, when they know they have had trouble with this engine before, to me they are taking a chance every time they send her out to sea. I don't feel that it was unsafe, but when you pick out an itinerary you don't want to go someplace where you have gone before. As have other cruisers stated before, the ship should go into dry dock sooner than later. The staff on the ship is very good and you will thoroughly enjoy your cruise director, Matt Baker. The staff did all they could to help make the cruise an enjoyable one. You will enjoy the entertainment and the food was very good. Salsa was very nice, however, Cagney's was not worth the $25/person charge. We had to send back one of our meals and another table near us was also having issues with their meat. All in all, it was enjoyable although somewhat disappointing in the fact that the two main ports we wanted to see we did not get to go to. We enjoyed being with our friends and the cruise experience. Even though it would have been disappointing, I wish NCL would have cancelled the cruise and we could have planned a different one and actually gone to where we planned. I hope you enjoy your cruise and hope you will not have any engine issues.

 

 

The dawn holds 2,224 passangers .. do you think these 2,000+ people wanted there cruise canceled at the last minute.. Air fare loss hotel loss.. what if someone didnt get the memo and was waiting at the pier for no ship.. NCL did the best they could when handed a problem.. Sometimes life happens

[jla418]

I am scheduled to depart from Miami on Friday and after reading these reviews on CC, I am actually nervous. Can anyone put my fears to rest and let me know how the ship sailed the past few weeks. I have read issues with the engines are making the ship very unstable and slow and there have been fires and leaks all over the ship.

 

Also, is the food as bad as it appears through these reviews, or is it maybe just exaggerated? Is there an adult only area on board, and if not-where is the best spot on the ship to get a little peace and quiet. I sailed on Car, RC, and last year Princess, and found the adult only areas the place I spent most of my time. My husband loved this southern carib itinerary, so I booked it, but now I am really worried we are in for a scary cruise experience. Any reassurance would be grateful.

 

Michele

 

I was also on the Feb-11 cruise. We had a great time despite the changes to the schedule. We were a little disappointed that we didn't make it to Barbados, but were happy that we were able to get to alternate ports, and not have the cruise canceled. The crew of the ship did an outstanding job. We enjoyed the food, entertainment, and being on vacation.

 

I'd love to get back on the Dawn tomorrow if I could. Nothing to be scared of in my opinion.

[newmexicoNita]

The dawn holds 2,224 passangers .. do you think these 2,000+ people wanted there cruise canceled at the last minute.. Air fare loss hotel loss.. what if someone didnt get the memo and was waiting at the pier for no ship.. NCL did the best they could when handed a problem.. Sometimes life happens

 

This is my feelings about any of these situations: they are not fun and they do create concerns but the ships do the best they can.

 

Nita

[Chuckndeb]

We,re going to be on the 3-11-11 cruise also and are looking forward to the trip.I do have one question..Does the Dawn have a pub? I noticed in the NCL brochure and I believe I saw it posted on here,that if you want good beer at decent prices to hit the English style pubs.Looking at the deck layout,I dont see one! Is there one on the Dawn? Thanks ahead of time!

[newmexicoNita]

I was also on the Feb-11 cruise. We had a great time despite the changes to the schedule. We were a little disappointed that we didn't make it to Barbados, but were happy that we were able to get to alternate ports, and not have the cruise canceled. The crew of the ship did an outstanding job. We enjoyed the food, entertainment, and being on vacation.

 

I'd love to get back on the Dawn tomorrow if I could. Nothing to be scared of in my opinion.

 

Hopefully next time you will make it to Barbados, it is one of our favorite islands.

 

Nita

[shoreless]

We just got off the Dawn Sunday -- did the 14 day Western and Southern. I was pretty impressed by the general condition of the ship. One elevator was out of service, and the upholstery on the couch in our room showed some wear, but that's all I noticed. Everything looked very clean.

 

We got to all of the ports with no problems. While we were in one port (don't remember which one) there were a couple of divers working on something, but I never heard what it was.

 

I think food quality has gone down a little over the past couple of years, but I always found something to eat. We seldom eat in any main dining room. We ate at Salsa and Bamboo and the buffet. Usually less than half of the buffet was open, and I thought there was less variety than there used to be, except for breakfast, which my husband said was excellent every day; I'm not much of a breakfast person myself.

 

On past cruises on Star and Dawn, we really enjoyed eating in Salsa and listening to the singers in the atrium. On this cruise, they'd cranked up the volume so loud that I could hardly taste my food, never mind have a conversation, in Salsa and Bamboo. If they wanted a faster turnover it worked; we were out of there in about half an hour. That's really my only complaint about the cruise. The weather was mostly perfect, and we enjoyed ourselves. I certainly didn't want to leave the ship at the end of the cruise!

[npsh]

We,re going to be on the 3-11-11 cruise also and are looking forward to the trip.I do have one question..Does the Dawn have a pub? I noticed in the NCL brochure and I believe I saw it posted on here,that if you want good beer at decent prices to hit the English style pubs.Looking at the deck layout,I dont see one! Is there one on the Dawn? Thanks ahead of time!

.

 

 

Yes, there is. It is called the Pearly Kings Pub main atrium somewhere if my memory is correct and has good beer on tap.:):)

[peg013]

.

 

 

Yes, there is. It is called the Pearly Kings Pub main atrium somewhere if my memory is correct and has good beer on tap.:):)

 

It's opposite the current Blue Lagoon.