Just back from first cruise.

[BiXLL]

Just back from my first cruise. We were on the Dawn for the Western Caribbean. In short, it was the most enjoyable week of my life! The ship and crew were both amazing. The food was awesome, never had a bad meal and did not eat at any specialty restaurants. We really enjoyed the shows that were put on also. Where they all GREAT????,no. Were they all entertaining and enjoyable, well almost all of them.

 

I read so many complaints about so many different things before we left I was really kind of nervous as to what experience we would have. I at this point simply can't believe that anyone would be so negative with such a great experience as what we had with this cruise.

 

We had an aft balcony cabin and found it so enjoyable I will do my best to always have one in the future. We did not spend hours at a time out there, but did use the balcony multiple times every day that made for a very enjoyable experience that I would not want to give up. Coffee in the morning, a drink while waiting for wife to get ready to go out, people watching at port, all great experiences and just samples of how we enjoyed it.

 

One of my biggest surprises was just how good the food at the Garden Café was. We had breakfast there every morning and had dinner there I think 2 or 3 nights. I had a lamb stew with Rosemary that was unbelievable! Different meat dishes I had never heard of but decided to try that were also amazing! The Crepe station, the omelet station, the apple crisp.......YUM!! Even the coffee and orange juice out of the machines were EXCELLANT! In the main dinning rooms I was impressed on how well they cook a sirloin steak, I have never had that cut be so tender. As I said earlier, there was not a bad meal to be had by us on the entire trip. Were there some certain food preps we were not crazy about, sure but overall, could not have been more pleased. I did have one complaint, I don't know why, but the noise level in the Venetian was bad! The Aqua has the same height ceilings but for some reason did not seem to be near as noisy?

 

Overall, for any new cruisers, go in with an open mind not looking for bad, and you will find that there is very little bad to deal with on a cruise. So little you will most likely hardly even notice it!

[biker@sea]

Be careful !! Dawn can be addictive .:)

[BiXLL]

I totally agree, the Dawn was GREAT!!! With that said, I am all ready thinking about the tweaks I am going to make to explore cruising more. I live in Pittsburgh and on my next cruise I am thinking that I want to try to sail out of Baltimore to eliminate the flight to Florida. Maybe make it a longer cruise then 7 day to be able to cover a Eastern Caribbean itinerary this time?

 

I have only begun to research it, but it is looking like I would have to sail on RC or Carnival to do this. I want to try different lines anyway. I have experienced Freestyle, I now want to try traditional. I have read good and bad on both points of view, so I want to see what I prefer myself. I now know that even if it is not perfect for me, either way will be a very enjoyable experience.

[che5904]

Thanks for your positive thoughts.

 

How was the waiting to get into the MDR's since that has been the latest complaint about the Dawn. What time did you go to dinner.

 

It's funny, the majority of posts on CC say that the Venetian is noisier than Aqua. And yet on our sailing in 2009, we found it the other way around. Not that it makes a huge difference to us, just an observation.

[anandaindonesia]

Thank you for spreading your happiness.

 

Keep cruising!

[sailingnut]

I started cruising in "2008" and most of the time solo and I just love it~~try the "Breakaway" if you get the chance, you will not regret it! I am going on a 11-day in October on the "Gem"~~another great ship! Happy sailing and so glad you enjoyed it~~I have also been on the "Dawn" to Bermuda!:)

[BiXLL]

Thanks for your positive thoughts.

 

How was the waiting to get into the MDR's since that has been the latest complaint about the Dawn. What time did you go to dinner.

 

It's funny, the majority of posts on CC say that the Venetian is noisier than Aqua. And yet on our sailing in 2009, we found it the other way around. Not that it makes a huge difference to us, just an observation.

You know what? I can't tell you what time we did dinner! It was more like "oh, I guess we better eat dinner"! There was one night we were given a buzzer and waited at least a half hour. No big deal, we just ventured over to the photo gallery and checked out what pics were taken of us the previous day. The buzzer went off and we went back and got seated immediately.

[BiXLL]

I started cruising in "2008" and most of the time solo and I just love it~~try the "Breakaway" if you get the chance, you will not regret it! I am going on a 11-day in October on the "Gem"~~another great ship! Happy sailing and so glad you enjoyed it~~I have also been on the "Dawn" to Bermuda!:)

I am thinking I would like to try a bigger ship, just not sure I want to go as big as Breakaway or Getaway. I am thinking the Pearl might be the ultimate size for me?

[dalgirl]

The Dawn was our first cruise with NCL (2nd cruise overall) and sold us on freestyle and the brand. We loved the Dawn and look forward to sailing on her again next year out of Boston. So glad your first cruising experience was so great. Be careful, you may not want to vacation any other way:)

[Demonyte]

I am thinking I would like to try a bigger ship, just not sure I want to go as big as Breakaway or Getaway. I am thinking the Pearl might be the ultimate size for me?

 

There is not much difference between Dawn class and Jewel class ships except for the layout in some places and the added Haven on Jewel class - for example Dawn is 92.250 GT and Pearl is 93.530 GT (whereas the NCL megaships are over 130.000 GT) and the width of the ship is the same (Panamax limitation) and Jewel class ships are about 4 meters (13 feet) longer than Dawn class ships - just as much as Panamax dimensions allow.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Demonyte

[BiXLL]

So glad your first cruising experience was so great. Be careful, you may not want to vacation any other way:)

Too late, that has all ready happened!

[che5904]

I am thinking I would like to try a bigger ship, just not sure I want to go as big as Breakaway or Getaway. I am thinking the Pearl might be the ultimate size for me?

 

I too would like to try a jewel class ship.

 

I don't know how much you have read on these boards, but I will give you a heads up. The Pearl appears to be NCL's charter ship of choice. So if you are considering that, you may want to do a little research on these boards regarding the Pearl.

[che5904]

The Dawn was our first cruise with NCL (2nd cruise overall) and sold us on freestyle and the brand. We loved the Dawn and look forward to sailing on her again next year out of Boston. So glad your first cruising experience was so great. Be careful, you may not want to vacation any other way:)

 

You got that right :D

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review. We found CCL to very similar to NCL but of course NCL has freestyle and better entertainment. The Pride is pulling out of Baltimore sometime this year. We are looking forward to giving the Gem a try.

[epwv82]

We just came back from the same cruise. We were on the roll call, but completely slept through the meet and greet :o

While I did have a very enjoyable time, I really did miss the main dining room experience you get with Royal Caribbean. This was my first Norwegian cruise, and because of the dining, probably my last. I just like the fact that on RC, you have the same wait staff every night, who remembers you and what you like. We only ate in the main dining room 3 times, and opted for the buffet and specialty dining the other nights. I will say that Cagneys was excellent. The best filet I've ever had. I wasn't impressed at all with Le Bistro. I wish we'd bought the Ultimate Dining Package and ate at Cagneys every night. I thought the buffet was great, never had anything bad there, everything was fresh and very good. I did have a good time, but it's going to be a task to get the fiance back on another ship.

Also, after having previously done 2 Southern Caribbean cruises, I wasn't a huge fan of the western Caribbean itinerary. Honduras was downright scary, my fiance wanted to turn around and get right back on the ship, and I was ready after not being off for very long. We didn't leave the port in Belize. Maya Chan on Costa Maya was amazing, would definitely go back there, and Cozumel was ok.

Edited January 27, 2014 by epwv82

[gra2172]

I totally agree, the Dawn was GREAT!!! With that said, I am all ready thinking about the tweaks I am going to make to explore cruising more. I live in Pittsburgh and on my next cruise I am thinking that I want to try to sail out of Baltimore to eliminate the flight to Florida. Maybe make it a longer cruise then 7 day to be able to cover a Eastern Caribbean itinerary this time?

 

I have only begun to research it, but it is looking like I would have to sail on RC or Carnival to do this. I want to try different lines anyway. I have experienced Freestyle, I now want to try traditional. I have read good and bad on both points of view, so I want to see what I prefer myself. I now know that even if it is not perfect for me, either way will be a very enjoyable experience.

 

I live in Lancaster, so Baltimores an easy drive. Its a nice port with lots of parking. Easy in and easy out. I took RCL to Bermuda in 2005, it wasnt too bad. My co-worker just came back from Carnival out of Baltimore to the Bahamas. He wont sail on them again.

I agree with you though, theres only one way to know if you like it! ;)

But if I could make a suggestion, try RCL first before Carnival.

 

Edit: You can also look at Newark (cape liberty) and New york to avoid a flight to Florida. All the major cruise lines leave from that area.

Edited January 27, 2014 by gra2172

[cheapboxer]

Probably your last because you didn't have the same wait staff every night?:rolleyes:

 

Fiance is in for a bumpy road ahead!:eek:

[dasmonkey]

We just came back from the same cruise. We were on the roll call, but completely slept through the meet and greet :o

While I did have a very enjoyable time, I really did miss the main dining room experience you get with Royal Caribbean. This was my first Norwegian cruise, and because of the dining, probably my last. I just like the fact that on RC, you have the same wait staff every night, who remembers you and what you like. We only ate in the main dining room 3 times, and opted for the buffet and specialty dining the other nights. I will say that Cagneys was excellent. The best filet I've ever had. I wasn't impressed at all with Le Bistro. I wish we'd bought the Ultimate Dining Package and ate at Cagneys every night. I thought the buffet was great, never had anything bad there, everything was fresh and very good. I did have a good time, but it's going to be a task to get the fiance back on another ship.

Also, after having previously done 2 Southern Caribbean cruises, I wasn't a huge fan of the western Caribbean itinerary. Honduras was downright scary, my fiance wanted to turn around and get right back on the ship, and I was ready after not being off for very long. We didn't leave the port in Belize. Maya Chan on Costa Maya was amazing, would definitely go back there, and Cozumel was ok.

 

The west end of Roatan beaches and snorkeling are as nice as anything I have seen in the Southern Caribbean. Walking out the front gate and making any sort of assessment about Roatan isn't really accurate.

[Seanote]

The west end of Roatan beaches and snorkeling are as nice as anything I have seen in the Southern Caribbean. Walking out the front gate and making any sort of assessment about Roatan isn't really accurate.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. The West End is great with a fantastic vibe.

[artist47]

Ahoy mate! Welcome to jungle of your new addiction.

 

;)

 

It's really nice to hear that you had such a wonderful time. I have not been on the Dawn but I am sailing her sister ship, the Star in about 7 weeks.

 

I agree with you that its really hard to understand some of the complaints. (or the complainers themselves.) I have never had a bad cruise - cruising, like many things, is what WE make of it ourselves .

 

I have sailed several different lines and ships, and all are different. People are different, crews are different, ships are different. But I have never had a "bad time" or a 'bad cruise'.

 

Is everything "perfect" ? Of course not -- wherever you go , on land or by sea, there are imperfect people and imperfect situations...but these things should only serve to remind us that we do not have forever...we only have "now" ....So very glad you enjoyed the "moment" and that you now have memories to last a lifetime.

 

Happy cruising to you in the future!

 

ps --- if you want a giggle, take a look at Grumpy Cat's thread where we take a poke at some of the whiners.

[artist47]

I totally agree, the Dawn was GREAT!!! With that said, I am all ready thinking about the tweaks I am going to make to explore cruising more. I live in Pittsburgh and on my next cruise I am thinking that I want to try to sail out of Baltimore to eliminate the flight to Florida. Maybe make it a longer cruise then 7 day to be able to cover a Eastern Caribbean itinerary this time?

 

I have only begun to research it, but it is looking like I would have to sail on RC or Carnival to do this. I want to try different lines anyway. I have experienced Freestyle, I now want to try traditional. I have read good and bad on both points of view, so I want to see what I prefer myself. I now know that even if it is not perfect for me, either way will be a very enjoyable experience.

 

 

Exactly the right attitude and intention. Best wishes to you and may you have fair winds and fair skies, wherever you sail.

[pooksma]

Thanks for this review. We are taking our first NCL cruise on the Dawn in July and I am reading as much as I can.

[Planmaam]

Welcome to cruising, and thanks for your great review. I feel the same way you do about cruising - it is what you make of it, good or bad.

 

My next cruise is on the DAWN, so welcome anything about her. Good to hear the staff were friendly, as usual!

[johnsak123]

I think that is why you should form your own opinions and make your own happiness

Different strokes ....

Everyone has different likes and dislikes and tastes

[Les_Bill]

BiXLL.........we too live in the Pittsburgh area(Greensburg) and took our first NCL cruise last October, same as you we had a great time. We sailed out of New York on the Breakaway and drove to the port. If I remember right it took less than six hours. We stayed across the river in Jersey at the Embassy Suites and were able to leave our car there for the week. The day before was spent in New York as it was an easy 15 minute bus ride. We saw the 911 memorial and just rode the subway around with stops for sightseeing. The people were friendly and quite helpful with directions and suggestions. In fact we booked for the Bermuda cruise this September!