NCL Dawn or RCCL?

[Boatgrl]

We took our first cruise in January of this year. We went on Monarch of the Seas and LOVED it!! We honestly have no complaints on any of it (except it was to short!). My husband wasn't looking forward to it but loved it! Now we have the option to go on the Dawn out of Tampa in December for 7 nights!! I've read so many reviews from good to bad that I am not sure if we would like it. We are foodies :rolleyes: not to picky but we don't like boring/bland food. We would probably not do but one or two of the pay extra restaurants. We are thrill seekers and the itinerary really looks good..Belize, Honduras, Costa Maya, & Cozumel. Since this is our 2nd cruise and we are going for 7 nights I would love some honest opinions... Stick with RCCL or give the Dawn a try :)

[dorisis]

Try the Dawn. We have cruised many lines and have found things to like about all of them. Unless you try them, you really won't know which lines suit you best.

 

~Doris~

[Aquahound]

We took our first cruise in January of this year. We went on Monarch of the Seas and LOVED it!! We honestly have no complaints on any of it (except it was to short!). My husband wasn't looking forward to it but loved it! Now we have the option to go on the Dawn out of Tampa in December for 7 nights!! I've read so many reviews from good to bad that I am not sure if we would like it. We are foodies :rolleyes: not to picky but we don't like boring/bland food. We would probably not do but one or two of the pay extra restaurants. We are thrill seekers and the itinerary really looks good..Belize, Honduras, Costa Maya, & Cozumel. Since this is our 2nd cruise and we are going for 7 nights I would love some honest opinions... Stick with RCCL or give the Dawn a try :)

 

As you can see from my signature, I am mostly a RCI cruiser, but have no problem trying other lines. I cruised Dawn in December and from that experience, I will advice you to stay with RCI. I ignored a lot of the negative reviews and went in hoping for a great cruise. But unfortunately, Dawn was probably my least favorite cruising experience. Service was terrible and maintanance around the ship was pretty sad. Our room had a lot of problems and the balcony was never cleaned despite several requests to do so. Railings and the decking were falling apart, and the venue used for evening entertainment (Spinnaker Lounge) was so small and cramped, it was uncomfortable to be in there.

 

But on top of all that, I just did not like having to wait 20-30 minutes for a dining table. It's a product of their Freestyle concept.

 

To the contrast, we went on Liberty of the Seas last month and although we weren't trying to do so, we kept noticing how better kept and how much better the cleanliness was compared to Dawn. Again, stick with RCI.

[Seago2]

Dawn is definitely showing her age, the food is not great (MDR dinner selections are good but the buffet is lacking and the desserts blow), and the staff is spread pretty thin. That said- this will be your second cruise so you probably won't care/notice. That is a cool itinerary and I'm sure you'll save a bundle on NCL. For me- no way again in the Dawn.

 

My review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=91425

[Winnigirl]

I've never been on the Dawn - but we've been on several NCL cruises and I've liked them all, so I would give it a try. We've never run into any problems ourselves. As far as your ports are concerned - Belize is great to try cavetubing - it was one of the best things we've ever done on a cruise - and the zipline in Honduras is pretty great too.

[Boatgrl]

Thank all of you for your comments! I am just thinking the $200 we'd save on NCL wouldn't make it worth it. We are both HUGE on service and that has been my biggest concern. You all have cruised way more than I have so I knew I could get some honest feedback here! :D would any of you give Carnival try?

[spunkyhungry]

I sailed on the Dawn, and I had a great experience! My husband and I both loved the food! The service was perfect. I had no complaints. I think you would have a great time on the Dawn.

 

To answer your latest question, yes, I'd also recommend Carnival. I've only been on one Carnival cruise, but I loved it! The highlights were the great, varied entertainment, great drinks, and low price!

 

I've had tons of fun on all 6 cruises I've taken, and I've enjoyed all 3 cruise lines I've sailed on. I think you will have a great trip no matter what line you choose.

[blonde1981]

Is the itinerary the same with Royal? That would probably be the biggest thing to sway me from one cruise or the other. I have only sailed Royal but am interested in trying out the newer NCL ships one of these days.

 

The Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral is also really nice and not that far from Tampa (since you are already coming from North Carolina). Will it be around that same time? I loved the flowrider on it.

[Boatgrl]

No, Royal doesn't quite have the same itinerary and these are some places we really wanted to see. In a perfect world I could set it all up just how I want but can't. This will be the first adult vacation my husband and I have had in 3 years and I would just like it to be nice. We were very impressed with our service and everything really on Monarch of the Seas (and she's over 20 years old) so the bar has been set. My friend who is our travel agent LOVES NCL and she likes RCL too. She thinks we will like it especially the ports on this cruise. Oh choices choices choices!! :eek:

[Aquahound]

No, Royal doesn't quite have the same itinerary and these are some places we really wanted to see. In a perfect world I could set it all up just how I want but can't. This will be the first adult vacation my husband and I have had in 3 years and I would just like it to be nice. We were very impressed with our service and everything really on Monarch of the Seas (and she's over 20 years old) so the bar has been set. My friend who is our travel agent LOVES NCL and she likes RCL too. She thinks we will like it especially the ports on this cruise. Oh choices choices choices!! :eek:

 

I still don't change my opinion of Dawn, but if this itinerary is that important to you, perhaps you should go ahead and go for it. After all, your only experience so far was RCI's oldest ship and you were impressed. With that said, it's very possible you will like Dawn because you won't be comparing it to RCI's awesome mega ships. Part of the reason I was so disappointed was I kept finding myself comparing. And one good thing Dawn has going for it is one of their specialty restaurants....Le Bistro.

[craigers]

As you can see from my signature, I am mostly a RCI cruiser, but have no problem trying other lines. I cruised Dawn in December and from that experience, I will advice you to stay with RCI. I ignored a lot of the negative reviews and went in hoping for a great cruise. But unfortunately, Dawn was probably my least favorite cruising experience. Service was terrible and maintanance around the ship was pretty sad. Our room had a lot of problems and the balcony was never cleaned despite several requests to do so. Railings and the decking were falling apart, and the venue used for evening entertainment (Spinnaker Lounge) was so small and cramped, it was uncomfortable to be in there.

 

But on top of all that, I just did not like having to wait 20-30 minutes for a dining table. It's a product of their Freestyle concept.

 

To the contrast, we went on Liberty of the Seas last month and although we weren't trying to do so, we kept noticing how better kept and how much better the cleanliness was compared to Dawn. Again, stick with RCI.

 

You had to wait 20-30 minutes,that's to bad.I was on the Enchantment Of The Seas (RCCL) in 2012 and I wanted to eat at 6 P.M.but I was scheduled to eat at 8:30.That's a 2.5 hour wait.I've been on 8 NCL cruises and never waited more then 10 minutes.Aside from the dining problems,which there were others,we had a great time on the Enchantment.The pool area was one of the nicest we had seen.

[JimAOk1945]

We have never cruised on NCL, but as you can see below, we have sailed on Royal three times and have a fourth cruise coming up in December.

 

In fact, on our 2011 Christmas cruise on Mariner of the Seas, we had the same itinerary you mention in your post. We had an awesome time and the ports of call far exceeded our expectations!

 

My wife took a lot of pictures. If you would like to see the slide shows that she made, you can click on the link below. The slide shows will play as soon as the page opens, but you can also go through the pictures by clicking on the thumbnails one at a time.

 

Here is the link

 

http://nancysoasis.com/christmascruise2011/christmascruise2011.html

 

Happy sailing!

[tidygirl]

We tried Norwegian last March because of the itinerary! After reading reviews I was getting pretty nervous (my family threatened to take the computer away from me;)) We have been on several RCL, Carnival and once on NCL and would rate RCL #1 with NCL close behind. Our reason was because they just didn't have the "fun" stuff to do especially on sea days like mini-golf, dodge ball tournaments etc for the young adult "kids". We definitely enjoyed the different itinerary so it was worth it for us!

[Ontario cruise duo]

We sailed on the Dawn last year (exactly one year ago today we were sailing on it) and I would sail it again in a heartbeat. We were on a 10 cruise that stopped in Samana, Tortola, St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbados and Saint Kitts. Loved the ship, staff, entertainment and all it had to offer. I book my cruises based firstly on ports of call, followed by cruise line. While we have travelled mostly with NCL, with the exception of a RCL cruise out of Puerto Rico, I would travel again on RCL but some of their itineraries just don't excite me at the moment. But I'm always looking, watching....

[Boatgrl]

Thank you all for your help! We booked it! The ports of call really excited us...we know we love RCI but decided to give it a try. Maybe turning 40 this year has me feeling brave...we also booked a Carnival cruise for May. I figure the only way to know what we really want and like is to try them. :) Again, thank you all VERY much! :D

[tbmrt]

We sailed on the Dawn last year (exactly one year ago today we were sailing on it) and I would sail it again in a heartbeat. We were on a 10 cruise that stopped in Samana, Tortola, St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbados and Saint Kitts. Loved the ship, staff, entertainment and all it had to offer. I book my cruises based firstly on ports of call, followed by cruise line. While we have travelled mostly with NCL, with the exception of a RCL cruise out of Puerto Rico, I would travel again on RCL but some of their itineraries just don't excite me at the moment. But I'm always looking, watching....

 

We took the 10 day Dawn cruise as well and the ports were the best we've ever been to. Loved the Dawn also. The food doesn't stand out in my mind, but I do remember the ports well!

 

It's up to you.....If you're looking for good excursions (some very adventuresome!), head to the Dawn....

 

If you want ship pizazz, alot geared to children, head to the Liberty of the Seas and don't miss the ice show.....(probably more $ per day though for the cruise)

[navybankerteacher]

Enjoy your cruise -- and for future reference try to note objectively the differences between RCI and NCL. As you gain experience you will start to develop stronger preferences, and there are differences, some major and some subtle, between the lines which make for stronger brand loyalties.

[DonnaK]

You had to wait 20-30 minutes,that's to bad.I was on the Enchantment Of The Seas (RCCL) in 2012 and I wanted to eat at 6 P.M.but I was scheduled to eat at 8:30.That's a 2.5 hour wait.I've been on 8 NCL cruises and never waited more then 10 minutes.Aside from the dining problems,which there were others,we had a great time on the Enchantment.The pool area was one of the nicest we had seen.

 

Why didn't you switch to the early traditional seating, or to My Time Dining, once onboard? The maître-d usually does a great job of accommodating everyone if your original seating assignment doesn't work out.

[jdvmd]

Would definitely go on the Dawn. It is a great ship. Entertainment is wonderful. Love Freestyle Dining.