Norwegian Dawn Review 2/3 - 2/10

[c0reyann]

The "secret" hot tub up in the quiet area. The first day at sea the water was COLD (not sure if it wasn't up to snuff yet or if it was due to the winds). The last day at sea the water was warm but the winds were whipping.

 

Looking towards the Bimini Grill from the 13th deck I believe. The burgers were so-so (IMHO) but the fries are like McDonalds, yum!

 

Although the pool was small, it served its purpose and never seemed to be too crowded in the pool. I never made it to the little "nook" of a pool on the other side of the stage, it was closed off a lot.

 

Grilling for the BBQ on the last day, you can see the little mini pool thing behind them is closed off.

 

I thought this was pretty cool, each day they had 3 hard serve ice creams in addition to the soft serve in the buffet. It rotated often so keep your eye out for a flavor you like. Was a huge hit!

 

The buffet, which I finally went to on the last day. It was OK but I wasn't overly impressed. If you enter from the pool side, you'll find the happy happy, washy washy girls along with menus for all of the specialty restaurants.

[c0reyann]

Shuffleboard!

 

Final snack, same as the first, just as good!

 

Enjoying my final martini at sea!

 

Dinner at Cagney's with Barb the Duck, Prime Rib = yum (but a LOT of fat).

[GeneD]

Was this the same elevator or were different elevators involved? Which bank of elevators Fore aft or mid ship?

[Ccboltie]

I am sailing on the Dawn in 2 weeks. I really enjoyed your review and cannot wait for our day at maya chan!

[c0reyann]

Was this the same elevator or were different elevators involved? Which bank of elevators Fore aft or mid ship?

 

8th deck, forward. I never noticed it anywhere else but then again, our room (8032) was right by this bank of elevators so it was the ones we'd use most. Most days it wouldn't stop going up or down, but I know a couple of the days it would be one way or the other. You essentially had to get lucky enough to get there when someone was getting off to catch it.

 

I did notice crew in there but it wouldn't ever seem to solve the issue for long. My husband is the supervisor at a local hospital of maintenance and he rattled off what it was and essentially they would need an elevator specialist to fix it, which probably would have to wait until they were in port or dry dock.

 

It wasn't a HUGE deal, but it made for an annoyance for sure, especially since two in our group have bad feet and can't constantly be climbing stairs (two flight per deck). I know that there was an elderly couple that were really frustrated/upset the one day because stairs aren't an option for them.

[mtns2sea]

Thanks again for the wonderful review. Almost feels like I have already been on the ship.

[PhotogJon]

Well reading through all the issues people seem to have and this being my first cruise makes me nervous. So I decided to look over my receipt from my TA and noticed a little bait-and-switch. When I booked it was the Veteran's Day sale to which I had to provide proof I was a vet. It was supposed to be $200 SBC for our mini-suite and then chocolate strawberries, bottle of wine and dinner for two at the italian and steakhouse restaurants. Instead they gave me $175 SBC and if your read it carefully it says "for the cabin chocolate covered strawberries, bottle of wine , dinner for two at the Italian restaurant and dinner for two at the steakhouse for this reservation." So I'm not really getting a SBC, they are just calling it that and making it pay for what they promised me for free. It doesn't matter that at the time NCL was already offering $200 SBC when booked with them. I can't for the life of me understand why we aren't allowed to talk about specific TA's on this board nor can I find any policy posted that prohibits it. You can trust me I'll be calling them Monday morning since the TA isn't open on the weekends. What are your thoughts? Can you fire your TA after you've already paid in full? I was seriously thinking of upgrading my cabin but I'm not in a spending mood with their company right now.

[jdvmd]

Well reading through all the issues people seem to have and this being my first cruise makes me nervous. So I decided to look over my receipt from my TA and noticed a little bait-and-switch. When I booked it was the Veteran's Day sale to which I had to provide proof I was a vet. It was supposed to be $200 SBC for our mini-suite and then chocolate strawberries, bottle of wine and dinner for two at the italian and steakhouse restaurants. Instead they gave me $175 SBC and if your read it carefully it says "for the cabin chocolate covered strawberries, bottle of wine , dinner for two at the Italian restaurant and dinner for two at the steakhouse for this reservation." So I'm not really getting a SBC, they are just calling it that and making it pay for what they promised me for free. It doesn't matter that at the time NCL was already offering $200 SBC when booked with them. I can't for the life of me understand why we aren't allowed to talk about specific TA's on this board nor can I find any policy posted that prohibits it. You can trust me I'll be calling them Monday morning since the TA isn't open on the weekends. What are your thoughts? Can you fire your TA after you've already paid in full? I was seriously thinking of upgrading my cabin but I'm not in a spending mood with their company right now.

 

What is SBC?

No, once final payment is made you are stuck with your TA.

[PhotogJon]

What is SBC?

No, once final payment is made you are stuck with your TA.

Ship Board Credit or Onboard Credit.

[MM9953]

What is SBC?

No, once final payment is made you are stuck with your TA.

 

No, that's not correct. You can transfer the reservation to another TA or to NCL almost up until sail date. Double check your invoice from your current TA, they may charge you a fee to transfer to someone else or your "extras" may not go with the reservation.

 

Good Luck!

[PhotogJon]

No, that's not correct. You can transfer the reservation to another TA or to NCL almost up until sail date. Double check your invoice from your current TA, they may charge you a fee to transfer to someone else or your "extras" may not go with the reservation.

 

Good Luck!

 

Thanks. Any recourse if they don't honor their promotion? I'm almost sure I printed the ad from their website but its been three months and I can't remember where I left it. :(

[PhotogJon]

Well thankfully it all worked out today. I called out TA and low and behold it was nothing more than a grammatical error. She left off the comma after the word "cabin". Oh how one thing can totally change the meaning. She agreed 100% on how it would appear. Anyhow, glad I called and made sure all my money was there. We don't drink much but that was how we planned to use it. Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed until the 6th that the upgraded suite I want is still available. My TA put a 24 hour hold and will try to keep renewing it every day until then but this weekend they are closed so I might lose it come Sunday.

[GeneD]

8th deck, forward. I never noticed it anywhere else but then again, our room (8032) was right by this bank of elevators so it was the ones we'd use most. Most days it wouldn't stop going up or down, but I know a couple of the days it would be one way or the other. You essentially had to get lucky enough to get there when someone was getting off to catch it.

 

I did notice crew in there but it wouldn't ever seem to solve the issue for long. My husband is the supervisor at a local hospital of maintenance and he rattled off what it was and essentially they would need an elevator specialist to fix it, which probably would have to wait until they were in port or dry dock.

 

It wasn't a HUGE deal, but it made for an annoyance for sure, especially since two in our group have bad feet and can't constantly be climbing stairs (two flight per deck). I know that there was an elderly couple that were really frustrated/upset the one day because stairs aren't an option for them.

cOreyann

We will be on the 9th deck but almost above where you were. Are there more than one elevator in that area? Some of us don't do stairs well. Or will we have to go to mid ships to get an elevator? Hopefully by the time our May cruise comes they will have the faulty elevator fixed.

[AnAppleInParadise]

what a wonderful review ! I really enjoyed the pics, esp the food ones.. yummy! made me hungry.. :) Looking forward to my first Dawn cruise even more now.. :)

 

Hi, this is my first post - not sure if I'm doing it right. Actually I have a question. My husband and I are cruising the Dawn on March 10, 2013 and want to know if you happen to remember which night they do the White Hot Party.

Love your pictures and all of your info.

[philip_eunice1]

If it was just one person I'd have been OK with it but the last day at sea especially we ran into it at least 4-5 times, although only the once with the waiter demanding they be filled out by the time be brought back our drinks. Awkward! I don't mind filling them out, I know they help the "little guy" out but being forced to makes it feel icky.

we were on the same time as u your picture on day one in cagneys we are sitting behind the photographer and never once were we asked to fill in a survey

[c0reyann]

Hi, this is my first post - not sure if I'm doing it right. Actually I have a question. My husband and I are cruising the Dawn on March 10, 2013 and want to know if you happen to remember which night they do the White Hot Party.

Love your pictures and all of your info.

 

The White Hot Party was in the Spinnaker Lounge and it started at 10PM on Thursday night (after Costa Maya).

 

cOreyann

We will be on the 9th deck but almost above where you were. Are there more than one elevator in that area? Some of us don't do stairs well. Or will we have to go to mid ships to get an elevator? Hopefully by the time our May cruise comes they will have the faulty elevator fixed.

 

The 9th deck didn't seem to have any issues with their elevator, seemed to just be 8. We'd grab the one above a couple times so we know that one did work. Probably something to do with the sensors/switches on our floor.

[c0reyann]

Day 8 - Disembarkation & Final Thoughts

 

Sorry for the delay!!!

 

The last morning we were up fairly early, we were going to try and get breakfast but everywhere was a zoo and we decided to just wait and grab something at the airport.

 

Per our VIP papers, we had priority disembarkation and were to meet at 8:40 in the Spinnaker Lounge. We got there and were told that we had to wait and to have a seat and at the time it was just disabled people. Eventually after about 15 minutes or so we asked someone else and it turns out that they misinformed us and they had actually already taken the VIP (even though we were early...). We ended up getting escorted off and the whole process to get through security and get our bags may have taken 10 minutes tops, we didn't do the walk off and it was still crazy easy. We got a transport for $15 and it was really easy, our bags went into a trailer attached to the bus! Boom!

 

Here's where the LONG day started, we didn't know you couldn't check into your flight until 4 hours before departure, so we were stuck with our bags from 9AM until 12:30PM. Which isn't a huge deal since we rented a smart cart but still a PITA. The nice thing about Tampa is that there is a ton of shops and things to look at while waiting but it's still a LONG wait. It was the first flight to home though so there wasn't much we could have done but perhaps done the excursion around Tampa.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

The Ship:

 

I liked the Dawn OK but in comparison to the two other cruises I'd been on, it didn't have the same wow factor. There really isn't a "grand" atrium, not a big deal but it wasn't the same wow from the other ships. The ship definitely has some wear and tear on it, stains in the carpet, lights didn't work, board curled up etc. There also didn't seem to be the same amount of shopping on board that I've had in the past but that's not really a deal breaker.

 

I did like the pool and I really liked how there was a separate kid pool at the back of the ship (that I never did see for myself, oops). I only saw a few kids in the pool so that was nice to have it mostly for adults. There was ample hot tubs as well and I never felt that I couldn't get in one if I wanted. The "secret" one was cold but that's due to the wind, I think on non-sea days it'd be fine.

 

The people cruising I felt were older, probably around 50 being the average cruiser? I felt a but young on the ship (33) and felt it a bit odd there wasn't really a club (other than for teens I think) on the ship. The Spinnaker seemed to turn into one once their events were done but that was it and the dance floor there was oddly set up. The rest of the bars were mostly places in the middle of something else and it was rare you could go sit at a bar and enjoy conversation as music was always live everywhere. For most this would be a great thing but I hate trying to talk over music so it eventually annoyed me by the end of the trip. Star Bar was the closest thing to that but it often had live music as well. That was really the only bar outside of Pearly Kings that had its own room. Pearly Kings often had games/karaoke going on so keep that in mind as well. It's really a small gripe but something to keep in mind if you want to go chill and have a drink after dinner.

 

The Room (8032):

 

We had a family balcony and I was happy with it but VERY glad that 3 adults didn't end up having to share the space. That would have been cramped!

 

Keep in mind there is only one outlet so a power strip is a must have for anything that needs charged. There was one in our bathroom but it didn't work, same with our friends one in the bathroom. If you have a converter you probably could make the 220 work as an additional outlet as well.

 

There is decent storage but again, I don't know how 3 people would have done it! LOL!

 

The bathroom was OK and bigger than the first ship I was on (one of those shower and toilet in the same spot deals). Not a ton of storage but we didn't find that we needed a lot, we made the space we had work but I can see how those that suggest the shoe things that go over the door would come in handy. There is dispensers for hand soap, shampoo and body wash. The shower pops off to be handheld which is nice and ideally should also go up and down, ours didn't. LOL There is also the not-flushing issue.

 

The balcony was a hull but I found it perfectly fine. Sure, there was rust and bits but it was OK. I liked the hull a lot and found it more private than the standard balcony.

 

Overall though, I felt that the room our friends had (8008) was more spacious even though it probably wasn't. It was nice to have the balcony though, so there is that. I think the set up is what made theirs feel so much bigger.

 

 

The Food:

 

Overall I found the food OK. Some things were better than others and some things were meh but the only thing I can say was absolutely AWFUL was La Cucina. I wished I'd realized they did lunch in the Venetian earlier in the week, the menus there looked AMAZING.

 

Also, the fries at Blue Lagoon/Bimini are like McDonalds, FYI!

 

I would always choose The Venetian over Aqua (it's not that difficult really to make the dress code) and they were the place that impressed me more than any other. I'd go there most nights and do a night treat a Le Bistro if you find something on the menu that floats your boat. Otherwise, stick with Venetian!

 

The Service:

 

Almost always spectacular, they are the best part of the trip and so friendly.

 

The Ports:

 

We chose this cruise based on the ports, not on the ship. I would return to all of the ports again in a heartbeat, just would choose more carefully in Belize. Still, I really enjoyed each port and rather liked the times at each stop - especially that each day, no matter where - it was 4:30 boarding. Easy to remember! I'd also rather change my clock to port time than stay on ship time, that seemed awfully confusing to a LOT of people on Carnival!

 

My favorite port was Roatan. I hope to return someday!

[AnAppleInParadise]

The White Hot Party was in the Spinnaker Lounge and it started at 10PM on Thursday night (after Costa Maya).

 

 

 

Thank you so much!! That is SO helpful to know and I couldn't find that info anywhere, not even when I called NCL! Thanks again!!:):):)

[GeneD]

Where was the secret hot tub? Which deck? Fore or Aft? Also on deck plans that I've seen of the Dawn, it looks like there are four elevators next to each other at the front of the ship and at the rear of the ship. Is that correct or only one elevator at each place?

When you mention the Venetian dining room is there a different dress code than Aqua?

Sorry for all the questions but eagerly awaiting our May 10 Dawn experience.

[c0reyann]

Where was the secret hot tub? Which deck? Fore or Aft? Also on deck plans that I've seen of the Dawn, it looks like there are four elevators next to each other at the front of the ship and at the rear of the ship. Is that correct or only one elevator at each place?

When you mention the Venetian dining room is there a different dress code than Aqua?

Sorry for all the questions but eagerly awaiting our May 10 Dawn experience.

 

It is on Deck 13, fore. You have to maze through the Quiet Zone a bit but it's up there, it's in the pictures from the last day. It is a larger hot tub than the ones by the pool.

 

I want to say ours had 4 elevators (fore) but none would stop on our floor, there was a glitch with the system. Again, they would get it fixed temporarily but it always seemed to be when I was carrying something it wasn't working LOL.

 

The Venetian and Le Bistro are the only two dining rooms with a dress code (no shorts). It seemed like in both jeans were OK so long as they were clean/not holes. I also didn't see anyone get turned away for flip flops and I want to say dress khaki shorts were seen on some men, but I've heard that it all depends on the day (sometimes they won't allow it). I think so long as you look like you're going to dinner and not rolling off of the sundeck you should be OK. The rest of the restaurants had no code but I never really saw anyone dressed too far down outside of the buffet.

[GeneD]

I appreciate your timely answers.

[JustMrWill]

Thanks for the review. I have stateroom 8032 on the April 21 sailing and was wondering if the room had a fridge? I can't find anything definite on the NCL website.

 

It was great reading your review and I hope that the toliet is fixed before I sail. :eek:

 

-Will

[c0reyann]

Thanks for the review. I have stateroom 8032 on the April 21 sailing and was wondering if the room had a fridge? I can't find anything definite on the NCL website.

 

It was great reading your review and I hope that the toliet is fixed before I sail. :eek:

 

-Will

 

Yes it has a small mini fridge, it's kind of hidden, it has wood over it so it's not so obvious! Have the steward/ess take out the drinks if you want to fill it with your own. We brought on our own so we had them clear most of it out.

 

If you hear water gurgling in the wall before you go, do a test flush, that's my advice for that room ;) Otherwise it was pretty nice! Our beds already had the egg crates on them, if they aren't and you find the beds hard, just ask for them :)

[JustMrWill]

I just wanted to update the status of 8032 during my recent 12 day reposition cruise. I don't mean to hi-jack your review and will delete this if it is unwanted.

 

Room was pretty much as discribed. There is some rust on the balcony area and some corrosion on the balcony doors. Sometimes they would stick a bit and require alittle extra ummph (probably just the humidity).

 

First night, the wall behind the toliet was gurgling and sure enough, push button and it didn't flush. Maint resolved it quickly. Service desk indicated that there were several in our section, so I am assuming someone clogged the line. This happened 2 more times during the trip. Not a deal-breaker, just annoying.

 

Shower door kept coming off the track. Easy enough to pop it back on but had to be carefule when closing it. I mentioned it to steward and he said he would get it looked at, but I never noticed any improvement.

 

The room itself is starting to show its age and mostly just needs a spucing up. All in all, we would definitely book it again. We actually liked the hull balcony better than the regular ones. It didn't feel confining but seemed to give more privacy.

[nanagirl]

Love the review and the pics. Keep them coming. We are trying to talk our adult kids into coming with us on the Dawn - NOT our treat- in Aug of 2014 to Bermuda to help celebrate our 30th anniversary. Pics are always helpful as they have never cruised so thanks again and enjoy your cruise.;)