Dawn Questions - Balconies, Bathrooms, & Tips!

[bostongal965]

My husband, two adult children, and I booked a cruise on the Dawn. My husband and I chose an aft balcony, and my kids will be in an inside across the hall. I have some questions about the Dawn in general, and the rooms in particular (aft balcony 8676 and inside 8667).

 

First, a little info about us - this will be my kids' first cruise, and my husband and I's third. Both our previous cruises have been on the Sun, which we loved - size, amenities, etc. Both cruises were also balconies - the first was an aft, and the second on the side. We liked the aft so much we went back to it for this cruise. I know some of my favorite things about the Sun (the Observation lounge, Las Ramblas, Great Outdoor Cafe, free use of the steam room & sauna) aren't available on the Dawn. We also liked the crazy Sun bathrooms - an acquired taste, I guess - our bathrooms at home are not that large, and we were always impressed at the smart layout of space. :rolleyes:

 

So...here go the questions:

 

1. Anyone have a picture (I tried looking to no avail) of any of the following rooms: 8676/8176 or 8667/8167? I know the aft balcony on 8 isn't as big as that on 10, but is it still a decent size - by decent, I mean fit a lounger (I had that on the Sun aft balcony and loved it - great for napping)?

 

As far as the inside rooms go, they look a little wider, but shorter than the others, so I was wondering if the layout was slightly different than the typical NCL promo picture. This is merely sheer curiosity, not any real practical value, lol :D

 

For both rooms, I am a little concerned about noise - I have read about these rooms being above the lounge. We booked them anyway because we wanted the aft, and we wanted the kids across from us. I'm wondering from recent cruisers how bad it is - we are all generally night owls and heavy sleepers...:confused:

 

2. Bathroom storage - with the advice of CC, I brought a shoe organizer for bathroom items on the Sun - I ended up not using it. The layout on the Dawn looks very different - nice, but it looks like there isn't as much storage. Would you recommend the shoe organizer? I'll purchase another for the kids, and pack the one I've got if it's handy.

 

3. Is a spa pass for the Dawn worth it? I know this is subjective, but it seems like the Dawn's spa doesn't have as many amenities like the heated tile loungers that some of the others do. As much as I liked the sauna & steam room on the Sun, I don't think I'd want to pay for that and inside chairs.

 

Also, can you use the paid spa area if you have had a service like a massage?

 

4. Finally - any general tips? Any do-not-miss items/areas/activities??

 

Thanks!!! :)

[bluebeachbum]

I was just in this room a few weeks ago & can send you pics if you post your e-mail. If you are heavy sleepers & night owls you will not be bothered w/the noise from the lounge but believe me, it goes on until 1 or 2 am. The bathroom is large w/a separate area for the toilet. There is a small vanity area outside the bath with a mirror, stool & hair dryer. The closet is large & there are many drawers & shelves to stash stuff. We loved the room except for the nightly noise.

[bostongal965]

Thanks - email is charmque @ hotmail.com - looking forward to the pics!

[OceanDreaming2]

My husband, two adult children, and I booked a cruise on the Dawn. My husband and I chose an aft balcony, and my kids will be in an inside across the hall. I have some questions about the Dawn in general, and the rooms in particular (aft balcony 8676 and inside 8667).

 

First, a little info about us - this will be my kids' first cruise, and my husband and I's third. Both our previous cruises have been on the Sun, which we loved - size, amenities, etc. Both cruises were also balconies - the first was an aft, and the second on the side. We liked the aft so much we went back to it for this cruise. I know some of my favorite things about the Sun (the Observation lounge, Las Ramblas, Great Outdoor Cafe, free use of the steam room & sauna) aren't available on the Dawn. We also liked the crazy Sun bathrooms - an acquired taste, I guess - our bathrooms at home are not that large, and we were always impressed at the smart layout of space. :rolleyes:

 

So...here go the questions:

 

1. Anyone have a picture (I tried looking to no avail) of any of the following rooms: 8676/8176 or 8667/8167? I know the aft balcony on 8 isn't as big as that on 10, but is it still a decent size - by decent, I mean fit a lounger (I had that on the Sun aft balcony and loved it - great for napping)?

 

As far as the inside rooms go, they look a little wider, but shorter than the others, so I was wondering if the layout was slightly different than the typical NCL promo picture. This is merely sheer curiosity, not any real practical value, lol :D

 

For both rooms, I am a little concerned about noise - I have read about these rooms being above the lounge. We booked them anyway because we wanted the aft, and we wanted the kids across from us. I'm wondering from recent cruisers how bad it is - we are all generally night owls and heavy sleepers...:confused:

 

2. Bathroom storage - with the advice of CC, I brought a shoe organizer for bathroom items on the Sun - I ended up not using it. The layout on the Dawn looks very different - nice, but it looks like there isn't as much storage. Would you recommend the shoe organizer? I'll purchase another for the kids, and pack the one I've got if it's handy.

 

3. Is a spa pass for the Dawn worth it? I know this is subjective, but it seems like the Dawn's spa doesn't have as many amenities like the heated tile loungers that some of the others do. As much as I liked the sauna & steam room on the Sun, I don't think I'd want to pay for that and inside chairs.

 

Also, can you use the paid spa area if you have had a service like a massage?

 

4. Finally - any general tips? Any do-not-miss items/areas/activities??

 

Thanks!!! :)

 

I'm not sure I'd book an aft balcony on deck 8 - way too noisy with Spinnaker's right beneath me.

 

We used the spa on the Star (twin to the Dawn) and felt it was worth the price. But we were in Alaska and the warmth of the spa felt great.

 

As for bathroom space (and I'm comparing to the Star), it's nice to have the toilet with it's own little compartment. There is some storage (about the same as on the Sun) but the over-the-door do-dad will come in handy - even if you hang it outside the bathroom. It's useful for all sorts of stuff that would normally clog up the small amount of counter/drawer space. (We had twice as much drawer storage on the Sun than on other ships.) One other thing you may want to consider. If you don't want the coffee maker in your room, the steward can remove it. That gives you more counter space and another outlet (bring a converter). JMO.

[bostongal965]

Thanks, Oceandreaming - from the pictures I've seen of the rooms on the Dawn vs the Sun, it looked like there was less storage on the Dawn - I guess I'll the shoe organizer to the packing list, lol :D

[che5904]

The Dawn and Star set up of our balcony cabins were identical. Here's a couple of shots of our balcony room (mid ship)

 

 

The third from the end is a look at the storage for the bathroom. There was also a shelf under the sink.

 

Sorry I can't tell you whether you will need the shoe holder, everyone brings different stuff and has different needs for storage space. I love mine and even if I had enough space I would use it, I do for hotels and camping as well. I love the organization it adds and the grab and go, like for suntan lotion. My DH loves it because he doesn't have to dig in a bag to get his razor etc, which I would never leave them just lay out where the room steward would have to try and clean around them. But then again I'm sort of an organizational nut. I also bring colapsable cloth boxes for in the drawers and on the shelves to hold little things, like batteries, cameras, binoculars, medicines. So as you can see I may not be the right person to ask about the shoe "organizer" ;) :D

[OceanDreaming2]

I also bring colapsable cloth boxes for in the drawers and on the shelves to hold little things, like batteries, cameras, binoculars, medicines.

 

And we use the over the door organizer to hold the same type of things.

[che5904]

And we use the over the door organizer to hold the same type of things.

 

:D They don't give me enough doors in my cabin for all the shoe hangers I would need. ;). So I definately bring the one for toiletries, then the 3 boxes are just misc stuff. The 2 are the perfect height to fit in the drawers and hold all the little stuff so they don't get tossed around in the drawer. The room steward loves us because one box on the shelf holds all the other stuff. For some reason when I cruise, I seem to have a lot of little stuff that need homes.

[DMH15]

One great thing about the Dawn spa is the indoor pool. (Please someone confirm, or am I making it up? After a while being on multiple NCL ships we confuse them...)

 

I did not care for the Blue Lagoon on the Dawn which I loved on the Jewel.

 

The Sun is my favorite though and I am right with you on the aft. I love the 9th floor corner penthouse. Sailed in 9076 in 2009 and have it booked next year. Basically picked the ship and suite before the itinerary.

 

Does the Dawn still have the movie theater?

 

Loved the Le Bistro on the Dawn. Does it still have the fine artwork?

 

Happy cruising.

[che5904]

Does the Dawn still have the movie theater?

 

.

 

No it was taken out in drydock but they sometimes have matinee movies shown in the stardust theatre. Our cruise on the Star did but others have stated not on their cruise.

[bostongal965]

Thanks, all, for the help!

 

Che5904 - thanks for the pics - is that the mini fridge on the counter?

[che5904]

Thanks, all, for the help!

 

Che5904 - thanks for the pics - is that the mini fridge on the counter?

 

Yes except for the spirit all cabins, balcony or higher have fridges. There may be some in lower cabins as well but we don't book less than a balcony so I'm unfamiliar with what they have.

[Quadsd]

We were in an oceanview cabin last October and had a mini fridge. Great cabin steward who removed the mini-bar items for us so we could stock it with our own water, soda and wine.