Dawn Review 1/13-1/20 Pictures, Dailies, Menus

[TryingCruising]

Thanks for sharing! I look forward to reading more. It's getting me more excited for our trip in March!

[grammyprf]

We live in Somersworth NH just over the border.....going on the repo April 21 on the Dawn. Our first time on NCL! Very excited....can't come soon enough with all the snow and cold!

 

Enjoying the reviews of NCL Dawn. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

Loving all of this information. Will be our first time on the dawn in April. Super Excited. Thank you for sharing. Cant wait for more.

Debbie:)

[hammsz]

yeah im stoked to see dailies!! Was there karaoke?

[clean1owner]

Day 2 Continued

 

 

After all the meet and greet activities we went to lunch in the Venetian. This is a much better venue than the Aqua. More spacious and plenty of windows. We got a table right next to the windows looking out the back of the ship.

 

 

I had the Fried Calamari (first time ever for me) and the fish and chips. It was all pretty good.

 

After lunch we saw the Mr Sexy Legs contest and just hung around the pool for the afternoon.

 

We went to the Venetian for dinner promptly at 5:30, but couldn't get a window seat. The service and overall atmosphere was much better than in the Aqua. This would be our dinner spot for the rest of the week.

 

 

After dinner we went to the Not-So-Newlywed Game Show. It was hilarious. My wife wanted to be one of the contestant couples, but thankfully they skipped over our length of marriage when choosing contestants. After the show we went to the casino. The slots were friendly to the wife, but the Craps table didn't like me very much. The casino is where NCL is pretty sneaky. If you play Blackjack for anything less than $25 minimum, you only get 6:5 for a blackjack. This dramatically increases the house edge.

 

Since it was Formal Night, we walked around and took pictures of ourselves in different areas of the ship. For whatever reason, most of them turned out like crap. I did manage to get one of the girls with the dancer outside of Moderno

 

 

 

We ran into someone from our Meet & Greet and discussed having to wait in line for dinner. They suggested making reservations. I never knew you could make reservations for the MDR. So I promptly went to the Reservations Desk and checked what was available. The earliest for Tuesday was 8:15, so I passed on that. However, we made reservations for 6:15 every night for the rest of the week.

 

 

Day 2 Daily

 

 

 

[clean1owner]

Day 3 Roatan Honduras

 

We had originally planned to eat breakfast in the MDR, but since the girls were doing the morning excercise classes and we had a scheduled 9:00 pick up time, we did the Garden Buffet again.

 

We made reservations for a horseback riding tour with Barrio Dorcas Ranch. As I posted earlier, we had a scheduled pick up time of 9:00. Somehow or another, the girl who does the scheduling got the dates mixed up and had us scheduled the following day, so we ended up not having a ride. There is a girl named Marie who stands right outside the pier gate. I don't know her title, but she pretty much directs traffic for people looking for their rides. Marie made a couple phone calls, then called a guy over and introduced him to us as Charlie. He was to be our driver for the day. We got to the ranch where Shirkie had our horses saddled up and ready to go.

If you like horseback riding, this is a great tour. You ride from the ranch to West End, through town, down the beach, through a more rustic area, and back to the ranch. The total riding time is about 1-1/2 hours. Just as we were riding through te gate of the ranch, Charlie came driving back up, right on schedule.

 

 

 

 

Yes, you go through the town. You ride down the street right next to all the traffic

 

 

 

After riding the horses Charlie drove us to Fosters, a place on West Bay. One of the employees asked us if we needed anything, and I told him we were looking for the parasail boat. He left and came back with the contact guy, who told us it was $65 each, or $55 if we wanted to pay cash. I told him we would discuss it and let him know. After changing into our swimwear, we went to the dock where the parasail boat had already showed up. I told the guy we wanted to use the credit card, and he told us he would have to call the other boat. Time was starting to run out, so we just did the cash deal and saved $40. This was my big mistake for the week. They took us about 10 minutes out on the water, and hooked up the girls. All they did was let out rope and let the wind take you up. After all the rope was out they sat for a while and then ree you in again. They didn't drive you anywhere! On the ride back to shore they even had the nerve to mention the tip box!

 

As soon as we got back to shore we grabbed Charlie and had him give us a ride back to the pier. We walked down the street to Coxen Hole about 1/2 mile on one side, and back on the other, stopping in the shops and booths along the way. We were back on board between 3:30 and 4:00.

 

When we got back to our cabins, there were invitations from the Concierge to have breakfast and lunch in Cagney's, which was a nice surprise.

Since we had no dinner reservations, we got ready for dinner early, as we would have to be in the first-come-first-served line again. I tried the Chef's Special, which was Fish Stew made with Mahi Mahi. It wasn't very good so I had the waiter take it away and bring me a steak.

 

 

After dinner we went to the Battle Of The Sexes Game Show. The daughter and I were Team Captains against each other. As luck would have it, we ended up in a tie, so neither one of us had bragging rights.

 

We also went to the Second City show. I must have read too many reviews talking about how great this show is, because it didn't come close to meeting my expectations. To me, it's too much like Saturday Night Live, where they only have one funny bit the entire night, and after you see it, you may as well go to bed because the rest of it is just plain stupid and boring.

 

The last thing we did was go to Dancing With The Dawn Stars, which was well worth the time.

 

 

[clean1owner]

yeah im stoked to see dailies!! Was there karaoke?

 

 

Karaoke was held in the Pearly Kings Pub, which doubled as a sports bar during the day. I don't remember how many nights during the week they had it going.

[hammsz]

I always finish high when they have one of these i hope they did. Your pics are great, been waiting forever to see the dailies. Im planning my days already lol!

[clean1owner]

DAY 4 BELIZE CITY

 

 

We didn't have anything planned for Belize, so after the excercize classes we had leisurly breakfast in Cagney's. This place is fabulous. The best service we experienced anywhere on the ship. The food was great. Blackberries as big as your thumb.

 

After breakfast we gathered our things and tendered to shore. The tender process was smooth and efficient. Once on shore we just shopped around the pier area. Prior to departing for our trip we had been warned to not leave the fenced in pier area without being on an organized tour, and we heeded the warning.

 

A couple interesting points about Belize.

 

1) The MOHO Chocolate store. They make their own chocolate right on site. They have a large glass window you can look through and watch the process.

2) The Pharmacies. There are about 3 or 4 pharmacies where apparently you can just walk up and buy your meds. I have no idea how legit they are or whether the meds ar genuine, but they just have a list of meds with the prices right on the counter. One example I remember is they all had the little blue pill for $4 a pill or 100 pills for $75. I don't know if this is a good price or not.

 

By noon we had seen all of Belize we wanted to see, and Bre came down with a headache, so we caught a tender back to the ship.

Had lunch in Cagney's and once again it was excellent.

The afternoon was spent justhanging around different areas of the ship. The Daily showed "Poolside Fun" at 3:00, so I went to the pool to check it out. A couple of the CD staff carrying numbers walked through the pool area, looked around at the crowd, and left. Nothing else happened.

 

This was our first night with dinner reservations and it was much better than waiting in line

 

 

After dinner we went to the Band On The Run show and visited the casino. The show was all right, but not really great.

At 10:00 was the Caribbean Deck Party, which was lightly attended.

 

 

 

 

[hammsz]

i didnt notice shrimp cocktails on the menu in the MDR. Were there any?

[Julienatul]

Great review thanks, we ill be on the ship in March! Looks like you had a great time.

[TheFantasyGoddess]

Hey Calvin! Thanks for all this information and the pics are great! I am doing the M&G for the 2/10/13 cruise (we have 90 on our list!!) and your input has been awesome. Would love to know how you did your cabin crawl and poker run as we have not nailed down our details yet :eek::D

 

Nancy

[tammi0916]

DAY 4 BELIZE CITY

 

 

This was our first night with dinner reservations and it was much better than waiting in line

 

 

After dinner we went to the Band On The Run show and visited the casino. The show was all right, but not really great.

At 10:00 was the Caribbean Deck Party, which was lightly attended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi- Was your dinner reservations in the main (non-pay) dining room? if so, how do you do this and when can you do this?

Thanks,

Tammi

[rjm11]

Thanks for the great review and pictures- we are on the Dawn in March and can't wait! Did you recall if they were offering the 2 for 1 martinis for happy hour? I notice mention of a "happy hour" in the Pearly Kings in the Daily- is this different from the martini one? Are both offered?

[HLWCruze]

Loving all of this information. Will be our first time on the dawn in April. Super Excited. Thank you for sharing. Cant wait for more.

Debbie:)

 

What date are you sailing in April, Debbie? We will be on the Dawn on April 7. Are you bringing your family? My husband and daughter, age 9 will be with me.

Super excited!!!!:);):D

[wajowander2011]

a "cabin crawl" is where people volunteer to allow others to view their cabin (suite, penthouse, balcony, inside, etc.) Just take a minute or so to look around & ask questions, then on to the next! The "poker run" costs money! Need a minimum of 5 cabins (7 is better) & whoever wants to participate puts up $5, $10, etc., each. You get a "playing card" at each cabin u visit & then the person w/the best 5-card poker hand, at the end, wins all the $!

[wajowander2011]

Re: Happy Hour....hopefully, NCL has figured it out....we went last November & they had it.....bartenders & wait staff had NO idea what was included or not....one night we got 2 4 1 margaritas & the next night not allowed....one night got 2 4 1 Buckets of Beer & the next night not! I'd ask for "rules" when u board!

[CupKayke]

Great Review! Thank you!

 

I'm trying to soak-up some NCL info because I think we will be doing the Breakaway next year... the announcement of Carlo's Bakery online was the final straw for me to choose the Breakaway over the Allure. LOL :o:D

 

PS ~ Southern Pecan Pie with Chocolate Ice Cream??!! REALLY??!! I am going to have to starve for 10 days pre-cruise!!

[hammsz]

your gonna get lots of questions since your review has pics of what everyone wants to see.

[LEtue]

 

PS ~ Southern Pecan Pie with Chocolate Ice Cream??!! REALLY??!! I am going to have to starve for 10 days pre-cruise!!

 

I'm right there with you! Really??????? :D:D:D

[SpoonerCruizer]

Thanks for the review of the Dawn. We are booked for 2/14 and can't wait. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Noticed the girls door signs... are you from Minnesota? Neighbors to the east in WI:D

[I need to retire]

We are going on the Dawn 02/10, and your pictures and info have been so helpful! I can't wait!:)

[hammsz]

I hope Greg London is on this ship next month, hes great. Aaron Shaw from Xfactor was on this crew last year dont know where he is now.

[aidansaunt2004]

Is there still a cinema onboard? If not, was there a daily rotation of movies available in your cabin (for free)?

 

Thanks :)

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.

[clean1owner]

Hey Calvin! Thanks for all this information and the pics are great! I am doing the M&G for the 2/10/13 cruise (we have 90 on our list!!) and your input has been awesome. Would love to know how you did your cabin crawl and poker run as we have not nailed down our details yet :eek::D

 

Nancy

 

I took volunteers to open their cabins for the rest to tour. We had 6 cabins. Each cabin got 1 deck of cards. Before we started the tour, everybody who wanted in the poker run put $5 into a pot. Whoever entered the poker run received 1 card at each cabin. The person with the best 5 card poker hand at the end won the pot.