I never thought i would ask this - ncl dawn will i really hate it???

[Bridge Maven]

We took NCL's Dawn from NYC to Bermuda a few years ago. At the time the ship was in beautiful condition.

 

NCL's regular cabins are smaller than Celebrity's but they have some of the best suites at sea. They also have 235 SF mini suites which are a nice compromise between the two.

 

Food in their two main dining rooms vary from average to good, but their French specialty restaurant was excellent! Their other specialty restaurants vary from average to very good.

 

If you buy a bottle of wine in one restaurant and want to finish it in a different restaurant the following night they will accommodate that request.

 

Entertainment is excellent.

 

NCL has more children which makes their ships feel more crowded.

 

We took another NCL cruise from NYC to the Caribbean on a different ship and did not like NCL's private island as much as the ones that other cruise lines have.

 

We booked two shore excursions from them that were very good. One used a van with only eight passengers so it was like a private tour.

 

Formal night was optional but more people observed it than I expected.

[cruiser-007]

The Dawn was our first cruise. I liked the 'freestyle' concept mainly because I don't like to play dress up. Entertainment was great, except the juggler guy was lame. I can't really compare to our second cruise on EOS because the ships are vastly different for me. My only real gripe on the Dawn was the passenger to ship size ratio, the ship was fully booked and it seemed like there was no place to sit a lot of times. But hey, if I really needed to go to Tortola and the price is that good I wouldn't hesitate to sail on Dawn again.

 

Good luck whatever you do!:)

[islandgirlejfan]

We took another NCL cruise from NYC to the Caribbean on a different ship and did not like NCL's private island as much as the ones that other cruise lines have.

 

They are in the process of revamping the island....it might actually be almost completed or totally completed by now. I had a emailing of the new things they would be offering and I'm fairly confident that you could search Great Stirrup Cay on the NCL group and find out where they are at and see diagrams/pictures of the renovations. We loved the stop on the smaller ships, but when we cruised on the Pearl it was very crowded, in part because they were into the renovations. NCL was the first cruise line to have an island...that was what initially made them appealing to us. We liked the idea of just relaxing. :D

[ISABELLA]

Boy, did this come as a surprise! I'm actually considering this cruise. X has about given up on stopping in Tortola (and the last two cruises I was on with a stop there, missed it). I LOVE Tortola and I need a FIX! This 10 night is unbelievably cheap! They have over a dozen restaurants so shouldn't one of them be decent????

Anyone have experience with Dawn or NCL???

My expectations are VERY low. Will I still be disappointed????

 

We sailed to Bermuda about month ago. Overall was OK - good, except food that is free - we didn't like it at all. So, you eat in specialty restaurants every night, it is better be cheap cruise. In our case it wasn't. Service was good, entertainement was good. But cruise was not cheap. Big plus for us - we sailed from hometown - Boston.

[Oville]

We sailed from Boston to Bermuda in Sept and had a wonderful time. Stayed in a suite so we had breakfast and lunch in Cagney's Steakhouse and the food was wonderful. 6 nights we ate in the Specialty Restaurants with our favorites being

la Bistro and Asian Fusion.

 

Like you, we've missed stops in Tortola so we are booked again on the Dawn this December.

 

NCL is a different experience from X but certainly not in a negative way.

 

Good luck with your decision.

[sunshine nana]

We've been on 3 NCL cruises, all 7 nights. It was great for Hawaii as we did not have to cross the Pacific. All were fun. Get a suite if you can as others have said to eat in Cagneys for breakfast and lunch. We were able to do these cruises with just large carryons each and I did wear nice pants and tops or a dress to dinner. DH wore a sport coat on the plane and wore that to dinner in the MRD or specialty restaurants. The food and service in the MDR are not up to other lines, but we never had an issue with other passengers' kids being out of control as we did on one Princess cruise in the summer.

[gelo7]

What's not to like, your on a cruise. You know what you like. If the port is the most important factor, go for it.

That's what I say....

[margeg]

That's what I say....

 

We were on the Dawn once on a repo 14 day cruise. I really liked it. my dh did not care for it that much. I liked that there were quite a few restaurants including "free" ones. We had a balcony cabin and I thought it was quite large and comfortable.

 

The one thing I dont like about Norwegian are those awful pictures on the side of their ships.

[tuggers]

I guess we will make the plunge tomorrow. Had wanted to do the 12/3 Connie but right now 14 days is too much (we all have some family/friend/health things going on right now), plus this one goes to Tortola and I LOVE that place!

It won't be so very cheap for me as I always have to pay double. Drat those single supplements!

I think two of the specialty restaurants just went up to $30 or $35 so may not do those much but some of the others look okay. May take some wine since the $15 corkage is fair. Supposedly they actually have it written somewhere 'no box wine' or so the NCL boards say.

After two nights on the Silhouette this may be quite the change!

Have no fear, you will all hear about this cruise.

And if anyone from X is reading: I wouldn't be doing this if you went to Tortola!!!!:D

[Bridge Maven]

I don't know if you know this but one of the main dining rooms on NCL Dawn is open for lunch on the first day of the cruise. It is really nice to have lunch in the main dining room while the buffet is crowded with people who just boarded the ship.

[FreeWilly88]

I've experienced NCL a number of times and it's a different experience compared to X or RCCL. Go in with low expectations and you'll be fine. If you're a gambler, NCL is by far the best cruise line that will reward you for your donations (i.e., discounted or free future cruises, OBC, free drink card, etc.) based on your play.

 

As some of already mentioned, food is at best, average. You'll need to visit the specialty restaurants for food that is at par or better than X MDR.

 

Everyone should at least try it once if the price is right... and then decide if it's your cup of tea.

[mafig]

Tuggers,

I don't think the price of any of the specialty restaurants have gone up...at least not on Dawn (maybe Epic?). The highest is still $25 for Cagneys and Teppanyaki, with leBistro being $20 and down from there.

Where did you see/hear that the prices have gone up?

[Bridge Maven]

When we took our first NCL cruise from NYC to Bermuda on Dawn a few years ago, I was very concerned because of all the negative comments I have read about NCL on cruise critic. However, at the time, the only options for cruises to Bermuda were NCL and Royal Caribbean and NCL Dawn had a better itinerary.

 

In spite of our concerns, we were very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful that cruise was. It would be a problem though for people who love a formal ambiance, since NCL is much more casual.

 

Due to its lack of competition for the Bermuda itinerary at the time, this was a relatively expensive cruise which may be a factor in why it was so good. I have found on all cruise lines that there is a relationship between price and overall quality of a cruise.

[madelinerose]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=31063338&postcount=1

 

Recent detailed review from a Celebrity cruiser. ;)

[Redtravel]

NCL is cheap. If you can afford to spend more, skip NCL. NCL is like Days Inn. You will be fed and housed, but there's a lot better out there. I sailed NCL...and will not sail on NCL again. It was that cheap.

[bob brown]

I concur with most of the above observations.

I will add that in some ways, NCL is bringing back a quasi-class system on their newer ships. Those in the top suites have access to a ship-within-a-ship area of private pool, dining room, sundeck, and cocktail lounge, while sharing the rest of the ship with the 'masses'. Indeed, the top Garden Villa suites, at almost 6,000 square feet are the largest at sea....twice the size of the largest on the QM2 even.

[ifield]

I've been on the Dawn & didnt care for it. The food & service in the main dining room were sub par. Ate in Le Bistro twice & there the service & food was on a Celebrity level. Liked the Mexican place too. We ate in all the free restaurants hoping for a good experience but were disapointed. If you don't expect Celebrity food or atmosphere, go for it.....if the price is right. We prefer Celebrity, Princess or Royal Carib. more. JMO

Hi Carole,

We are on this cruise -Nov 13th and have been on the Dawn twice before. We have had, on both occasions, excellent cruise experience. Now, we were in a suite which we feel is exceptional value for the accommodation, service and quality of food as well. So, I cannot comment other than our experience. Cagneys for breakfast, lunch - superb. Great perks and the staff from officers down have a great customer service attitude. Can't wait until we go on this next cruise!!

[ISABELLA]

NCL is cheap. If you can afford to spend more, skip NCL. NCL is like Days Inn. You will be fed and housed, but there's a lot better out there. I sailed NCL...and will not sail on NCL again. It was that cheap.

 

Not all NCL cruises are cheap. That is why I was making a point. I don't think $2200 for 7 days in the balcony is cheap if I have to pay another $450-$500 for specialty restaurants to have good food.

[kaiemiascott2]

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful cruise on the NCL Jewel last week. That was our 47th. cruise and since October, 2006 have sailed with NCL 10 times. We have sailed on the Dawn twice in the past 4 years and enjoyed both of our cruises.

 

We have sailed with all of the major lines numerous times, and have sailed on the Century, Horizon and the Millennium with Celebrity. While we enjoyed ourselves on Celebrity, I find I enjoy myself just as much on NCL.

 

The speciality dining rooms on NCL are excellent and we have found the food in the main dining rooms to be good. We have had good meals and meals we did not care for on all of the lines.

 

This past cruise we found the ship in excellent condition, a very attentive staff who certainly went out of their way to make our trip enjoyable. The only negative we had was the cruise went by to quickly. We are partial to 10-14 day cruises, but decided to do the Jewel 7 day out of New York.

 

Captain Lars Bergstrom and Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael and their staff must be doing a great job because we found the ship to be a very happy ship, and that starts at the top. Always smiles and friendly greetings when you encounterd the staff around the ship.

 

Sandy

[Oville]

Not all NCL cruises are cheap. That is why I was making a point. I don't think $2200 for 7 days in the balcony is cheap if I have to pay another $450-$500 for specialty restaurants to have good food.

 

But going out of Boston to Bermuda is very popular so the prices will be inflated, not so much in the Caribbean.

[Oville]

NCL is cheap. If you can afford to spend more, skip NCL. NCL is like Days Inn. You will be fed and housed, but there's a lot better out there. I sailed NCL...and will not sail on NCL again. It was that cheap.

 

Sorry,but your Days Inn comment was not fair. NCL is different but not horrible.

 

Please give us details on your NCL experience, the Dawn, Specialty restaurants.....

 

You've been very negative with no specifics. Please fill in the blanks.

[buffi001]

I've been on the Dawn, and I believe it was the same itinerary

as the one you are considering. I, too, love Tortola, and the single

best excursion we've ever taken was from Tortola to Jost Van

Dyke.....a tiny piece of paradise. The ship and amenities were not

on a "Celebrity" level, but I thought they were good. We had a very nice dinner at Cagney's.

 

A tip....When I was on the Dawn someone told me that if you

made a reservation in a specialty restaurant that was for 6:00PM

or earlier, it was half price. I asked and it was true. Cagney's became

a "bargain". This was several years ago, so I'm not certain it is still in

effect, but it's worth asking.

[nindilou]

We sailed the Dawn in March of this year. We stopped in Tortolla and we LOVED the ship, the food was great with a couple little exceptions, and I was very happy we went. We sailed the Spirit out of New Orleans in August, and it was pitiful in comparison to the experience we had on the Dawn. I would not hesitate to recommend it, ours was a 9 night cruise. LOVED it!!:D:cool:

[sugarking]

We sailed with NCL three times, ten years ago and swore we would never go with them again. We left the ship hungry because the food was terrible.

We are Elite on Celebrity and and have cruised with all of the other cruise lines. After seeing their prices and the port is twenty minutes from my house, I decided to give it another try. We were on the Oct. 23 sailing. We loved it, the food was excellent and I loved the no formal nights. We have a Nov. 30 sailing on the Silhouette but after that we will only be sailing with NCL!

[Bridge Maven]

The posts on this thread reaffirm my feeling that the only way to know what cruise lines a person will like is for them to try it themself. As someone who has been on both NCL and Celebrity, I find the diversity of opinions expressed to be very interesting.