NCL Newbie Questions about Suite and Dining on Dawn

[ukdeblarz]

Hi All,

Lots of experience cruising, but never on NCL. Thinking of booking an Aft Penthouse on the NCL Dawn. I'm really confused about how freestyle dining works on the Dawn for Penthouse Suite guests. Please help me understand? As much detail as possible, please. I tried finding the info on the NCL website and by searching threads but somehow it seems overwhelming.

 

So in a suite . . .

 

1. We get get free sodas? Can we carry on soda too?

2. We get guaranteed restaurant choices and arrange these with concierge or by calling a special number in advance?

3. We can dine in our room from main dining room or specialty restaurants? What is the fee for this as a suite passenger?

4. How many restaurants are there to choose from? How do we know which ones to choose? Do they publish the main dining room menus in advance so you know which one to book for which day?

5. What restaurants charge a fee for suite guests and which ones are included?

6. What is with the Carney's that I keep hear mentioned?

7. I saw in one thread that you have to pay for pizza to be delivered. Is this the case for a suite too? Is there anywhere to get pizza or ice cream without paying?

8. Any British foods at all on the Dawn such as English sausages or bacon with breakfast?

 

I'm waiting until Wed to book, as I think there is some sort of Dawn sale coming up. Anything else you think I should know before booking?

 

Thank you for any advice it is very much appreciated.

[garycarla]

1 - you do not get free soda. You can bring any onboard you want.

 

2 - You can book rest in advance if you want, or wait till you board. The suite concierge usually can accomodate you, but not always.

 

3 - You can do speciality in your room if you want, pay normal fee.

 

4 - The restaurants are listed on the website. Varies by ship.

 

5 -Charges are same for suite and non suite folks.

 

6 - On all ships, suite passengers get to eat breakfast and lunch a special restaurant. On most of the ships it is Cagneys, which is being moved to Moderno on some ships. Same, same.

 

7 - pizza delivery charge is the same in suite vs non suite

[BabsterA]

My recent experiences have been that the concierge isn't much help when making restaurant reservations, but that was the Getaway and being a much larger ship, she may have just been overloaded.

 

Cagney's is a nice perk for breakfast and dinner.

 

Being a suite passenger doesn't mean there are a lot of freebies (sodas, wine, etc) but priority boarding is really nice and you do get afternoon treats. The website has a nicely detailed list of the perks.

 

We'll be on the Dawn in January and are looking forward to it!

[beyer4]

So in a suite . . .

 

1. We get get free sodas? Can we carry on soda too?

2. We get guaranteed restaurant choices and arrange these with concierge or by calling a special number in advance?

3. We can dine in our room from main dining room or specialty restaurants? What is the fee for this as a suite passenger?

4. How many restaurants are there to choose from? How do we know which ones to choose? Do they publish the main dining room menus in advance so you know which one to book for which day?

5. What restaurants charge a fee for suite guests and which ones are included?

6. What is with the Carney's that I keep hear mentioned?

7. I saw in one thread that you have to pay for pizza to be delivered. Is this the case for a suite too? Is there anywhere to get pizza or ice cream without paying?

8. Any British foods at all on the Dawn such as English sausages or bacon with breakfast?

 

.

 

1. You can carry on soda or bottled water in their original packages.

2. The Concierge will make your restaurant reservations for you once you are on board.

3. You can dine in your suite from the main diningrooms, buffet or specialty restaurants. The specialty restaurants have a fee for all guests on board.

4. The menus for the main dining rooms are posted outside the main dining rooms. The concierge will get you menus or you can see them at guest services for the specialty restaurants if you want to see them in advance.

5. There are 2 main dining rooms, Blue Lagoon and the buffet that are included for no extra fee. There is usually a Mexican, Italian, Japanese, steak place, sushi, among others that charge anywhere from $10-$30 per person.

6. Cagneys is the steak place. Suite guests can eat there "free" for breakfast & lunch. Its a nice perk, service is always great, nice selection, very good.

7. To get pizza delivered anywhere on the ship it is $5 I believe. There is pizza available on the buffet. Ice cream is available usually in the buffet or near the pool.

8. There is breakfast sausage & bacon available in all breakfast venues.

 

We have done a suite on the Star which is the Dawn's sister ship. We are doing the Dawn in a suite in January, can't wait. There are quite a few perks to booking a suite, a few that we enjoy are priority boarding and disembarkation, the treats delivered to your room each afternoon, Cagneys, suite cocktail reception, coffee maker in our room, the extra "make you feel good" kind of things (butler, bigger rooms, etc). NCL suite perks are very good.

Food is a subjective thing, we have always eaten I the main dining rooms in the evening and bee very satisfied. We used obc and ate a specialty restaurant (Teppanyakki) once, it was good but in my opinion not enough to warrant the extra charge s we stick to the main dining rooms.

[ukdeblarz]

Thanks for the great replies. I think I have figured it out now. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you.

[cruiser1955a]

My recent experiences have been that the concierge isn't much help when making restaurant reservations, but that was the Getaway and being a much larger ship, she may have just been overloaded.

 

Cagney's is a nice perk for breakfast and dinner.

 

Being a suite passenger doesn't mean there are a lot of freebies (sodas, wine, etc) but priority boarding is really nice and you do get afternoon treats. The website has a nicely detailed list of the perks.

 

We'll be on the Dawn in January and are looking forward to it!

 

Breakfast and LUNCH (not dinner) at Cagneys are included as suite perks.

 

Specialty restaurants (extra fee) are:

Tepanyaki - Japanese Hibachi Style - limited seating, book early

Moderno - Brazilian Grill

Le Bistro - French Cuisine

Cagneys - Steak & Seafood (Breakfast & Lunch included for suite guests)

la Cucina - Italian Restaurant

And a Sushi Bar

 

There is usually free pizza available in buffet (lunch & dinner), not the same as pizza delivered to your cabin.

[SteveH2508]

8. Any British foods at all on the Dawn such as English sausages or bacon with breakfast?

 

No English bacon (nearest thing is Canadian ham) - NCL bacon = cremated, fatty, thin cut, streaky bacon:(

 

Sausages are no great shakes either - not really like a proper, butcher's-made English pork sausage - think cheaper supermarket style.

 

No decent marmalade or Marmite either.

 

Fresh made omelettes are good.

 

(Things may be different for Cagney's breakfast however)

[Freespir8]

Just wanted to comment that if you are in a DOS or higher you do get unlimited soda and 3 bottles of alcohol of your choice in your cabin. You are going to love the "Suite Life"..worth every penny IMO. :).

They did have marmalade...not as bitter as I prefer but not bad either. I did see Vegemite on our last trip but that could have also been because the Star just arrived from Europe. Our milk in the cabin (for our lattes) was from Denmark and had a slight different taste then what is found in the States. Also they did serve some bang up Bangers ;) that my husband couldn't get enough of.

[DaisyGoldberg]

There have usually been bangers in the buffet, but not always at the end station -- usually there's a traffic jam there anyway with people (the end near the children's seating area). If you move to the middle of the room, the service area there sometimes has different options, even at breakfast. So worth a quick look if what you want seems missing from the first line.

 

I agree with others that the NCL bacon is awful.

 

You can ask your butler for a set of the week's dining room menus so that you can make your plans accordingly -- be sure to ask which day to start on, because I think they use a 14 day schedule and the days are numbered. So just because it's the first day of YOUR cruise doesn't mean it's menu 1. However, they will proceed in order once you're on the right page.

 

There will be soda in your fridge when you board -- it's not free! You will get a bottle of sparkling wine, and last time we also got a free bottle of water, but there is also a bottle of water on the counter that you will be charged for if you open it. They'll empty the fridge so you can put in your own stuff, if you ask, but it's quite small and won't fit large bottles.

 

As for restaurants, Teppanyaki (Japanese) is the one that almost always gets booked and hard to get into. Otherwise the concierge should be able to get you in - but no guarantee. There should be a slip in your room that you can fill out to give to him/her for your reservations for the week when you figure them out, or just call as you decide.

[Love my butler]

Hi All,

Lots of experience cruising, but never on NCL. Thinking of booking an Aft Penthouse on the NCL Dawn. I'm really confused about how freestyle dining works on the Dawn for Penthouse Suite guests. Please help me understand? As much detail as possible, please. I tried finding the info on the NCL website and by searching threads but somehow it seems overwhelming.

 

So in a suite . . .

 

1. We get get free sodas? Can we carry on soda too?

2. We get guaranteed restaurant choices and arrange these with concierge or by calling a special number in advance?

3. We can dine in our room from main dining room or specialty restaurants? What is the fee for this as a suite passenger?

4. How many restaurants are there to choose from? How do we know which ones to choose? Do they publish the main dining room menus in advance so you know which one to book for which day?

5. What restaurants charge a fee for suite guests and which ones are included?

6. What is with the Carney's that I keep hear mentioned?

7. I saw in one thread that you have to pay for pizza to be delivered. Is this the case for a suite too? Is there anywhere to get pizza or ice cream without paying?

8. Any British foods at all on the Dawn such as English sausages or bacon with breakfast?

 

I'm waiting until Wed to book, as I think there is some sort of Dawn sale coming up. Anything else you think I should know before booking?

 

Thank you for any advice it is very much appreciated.

 

1. No free sodas. Carry on as many as you like.

 

2. No guarantees, but the concierge will get you close.

 

3. You can eat every meal in your room. The butler will deliver and set up. You pay any upcharges associated with that meal. ie $15/person for a dinner meal from La Cucina.

 

4. Cagneys, Teppanyaki, Le Bistro, Moderno, Ginza, La Cucina, Blue Lagoon, MDR, Buffet, Room Service. Ask your butler to bring you the MDR menus each day.

 

5. As a suite guest you get to eat breakfast and lunch in Cagneys, free of charge. All other restaurant charges are not included. Cagneys is open every day for breakfast and lunch.

 

6. Cagneys is the steakhouse. $30/person. Overpriced and overrated.

 

7. Room service pizza is $5/pie, anytime of day or night. Free ice cream and pizza in buffet most hours of the day. Ask your butler. They can do great things with food delivery when motivated.

 

8. No.

[drdelta]

I see that those booked into suites can eat in Cagney's for breakfast free of charge. Can those not in suites eat in Cagney's and pay for it?

 

Thanks.:)

[Cole Thornton]

I see that those booked into suites can eat in Cagney's for breakfast free of charge. Can those not in suites eat in Cagney's and pay for it?

 

Thanks.:)

 

 

Only for dinner.

[Love my butler]

I see that those booked into suites can eat in Cagney's for breakfast free of charge. Can those not in suites eat in Cagney's and pay for it?

 

Thanks.:)

 

Can't buy it but you can eat in Cagney's for B/L if you are designated VIP by the HD or CAS. With CAS you are kind of paying for it, just indirectly.