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Dawn March 29th Review

FitchburgWIFamily
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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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I will try to keep this short and meaningful….but I know I will struggle, so I apologize in advance. I have only been off the boat for three days, and I haven't even unpacked my dirty laundry yet, so it will be a bit before I get to loading up photos.

 

We were travelling as an enormous group: My mother (age 85), myself and my husband, my niece (age 20.95), her friend (age 21), my son (age 14), and my daughter (age 12.99). We had a family suite with balcony (12520) and an interior (12521).

 

Pre Cruise: We loved having Friday night and all day Saturday to enjoy New Orleans. We were able to hit our punch list of restaurants (Acme Oyster House, Pat O'Brien's, Mother’s, and Café du Monde) and still have a leisurely morning to board the boat.

 

We stayed at the Residence Inn Downtown, in the warehouse district. We loved the hotel, especially the large courtyard with a sports court, pool, and plenty of tables and chairs. We had a two bedroom suite, which as a converted apartment, with a large kitchen, a living room with table and chairs, desk, L-shaped sofa sleeper, and two bedrooms with queen beds. Each bedroom had a bathroom, one bedroom’s bathroom also opened up to the hallway and the other was an en suite. Breakfast was ample, staff was great. Kids could easily walk to port and it was faster than us driving. Easy walk to French Quarter, no problems walking even at night. Warehouse district has definitely gentrified, with all sorts of very high price restaurants.

 

Boarding: our boarding documents asked us to not arrive before 11:00, so we tried to comply. By the time we got there, there was a giant snake of cars that loops all the way down from Julia St. past the other end of the convention center, and then back past the carnival ship loading to where the NCL ship is loading. Dropped off our luggage and my mother curbside, and drove to the Whale lot to park. Got there and was told there was no room and they would lead us to their auxiliary lot and drive us back with their shuttle.

 

OK..if I wanted to park and shuttle, why would I pay the port rates for parking instead of parking with any one of the people holding up the signs that say parking for WAY cheaper than the port rates? Two: when we get off the boat, my mom isn’t going to be able to navigate the shuttle, and where would she wait for us while we were going to get the car? Three, mom is already waiting for us just inside the port, and I don’t have time to argue. So, I pitch a hissy, and get permission to park in one of the dozen or so open spaces in their full lot. (Struggling to keep my happy vacation face on).

 

We walk back to the terminal, meet with my mom, and go through to security. LOOOOONNNNGGGGG lines going through the security check point. Mom and her walker and one companion are escorted to a special line on one side, and rest of family snakes through. After about 20 minutes, we are all through security and ready to check in.

 

As we are in a suite, we use priority check-in, where they graciously allowed me to check in for the interior room as well. We used one charge card to guarantee expenses on some of our cards, use different credit cards for the 20somethings, and turn off charging for the kids. Phew. We all get our pictures taken. Cards for suites (everyone except me is registered into the suite) are handed to us in the priority lounge, but my card has to be made at the counter. So, she gets my card, and then escorts us off to the suite. (Happy vacation face back on).

 

We meet our concierge. She spends a lot of time warning us that dining times are very restricted and we should make reservations right away. One of the things we loved about Freestyle cruising was making up our mind as we went along….if we ate a big meal on shore, maybe we do a later dinner, if we get back on board early, maybe an earlier one. We use to like to look at the Freestyle Daily and decide then when we wanted to eat based on shows and activities. I am really sad to be told to figure out on day one when I want to eat on day seven. (Happy vacation face struggling).

 

None the less, we quickly grab some sweet breads and coffee in the lounge, and are brought on board. Even though it is before noon, our suite is ready and waiting for us. I loved loved loved our room. Our six suite passengers head up to Cagney’s to get lunch, and I stay back and try to figure out where we are going to put all our stuff. I also take advantage of the empty rooms to get some pictures, which I will add later on (once I get them off my camera).

 

By the time everyone is done with lunch, our luggage has already arrived. I leave people to start to unpack, while I take the kids to get them registered in Entourage and such.

 

OK…before you read this review any further, know now that there were three places I intended to give NCL and opportunity to allow me to bend the rules, and this was one of them. If you don’t want to read about bending rules and you want to write a bunch of judgy comments about it, just close the review right now and move on. I don’t want your comments and you don’t need my review.

 

My daughter’s 13th birthday is in April, and I know NCL strictly enforces its age policy on which group the kids are placed in. So, I “accidently” put her birthday down as March instead of April when I added her to our booking. Well, when they electronically scanned her passport at check-in, her birthdate was automatically updated to her April date so she was not allowed in Entourage. OK…strike one on the getting around the rules.

 

Now, we have one suite and one interior: I booked the interior in my name to get the latitudes discount, but I am going to have my 20 somethings (one is 21) and my daughter sleep in that room. Our key cards are all to the wrong room, so next stop was guest services to get extra keys for the rooms. I got one extra key for the suite, so I had my normal card I could use for charging, and a blank card that just got me in the suite. I got three extra keys for the interior so each of the girls had a way in. Easy peasy.

 

Next place I was going to bend the rules: I was legal guardian to my niece from the time she was 15 when her father became ill until she became an adult. We never went through adoption proceedings because legal guardianship was enough. Once she became 18, my guardianship expired. Her mom, my sister, died when my niece was 15 months old, and her father never remarried. When she was young, her dad took care of her part of the time and I took care of her part of the time. She is definitely more than “like a daughter” to me. Her Grandmother (my mother) and I both decided she was well able to buy her own beer or wine, especially since she was doing it on her charge card, so we decided to try to sign the form to allow her to drink. I know NCL’s policy is a parent must sign, but she is an orphan. Rather than explain all that, I just said I wanted to sign for my daughter. Our last names do not match, but we did have driver’s licenses that had the same home address, so as long as the addresses lined up, I was able to sign with no further proof. Rule bent.

 

One last rule bend: we have six passengers registered to the suite and one passenger registered to the interior. Our concierge explicitly told us that as long as only six passengers ate at Cagney’s, there was no concern with whether those six were the suite passengers. As there was never a time when all of us were all ready to eat at the same time for breakfast or even lunch, this did not hinder us at all.

 

OK…enough running around bending rules. We are all on board, and I have navigated through all the hoops and rules I intended to navigate through. I am going to speed this up now and get to just the good stuff:

 

FOOD:

Oh my goodness, I have never eaten so much in all my life.

 

Breakfast at Cagney’s was always very good. I do wish they would introduce a feature item or two of the day to vary the menu a bit. Talk about your first world problems, but I ended up having to get Eggs Benedict two different days because there wasn’t quite enough variety on the menu. Oh…the calamity! Juice is included from the buffet bar, even if the menu tells you you have to pay for fresh squeezed: as long as they don’t squeeze it you don’t pay. Staff learned by second day that my mother drank decaf coffee with breakfast and brought it without asking. Food quality was very good.

 

Lunch at Cagney’s: we only managed to do this twice, once the day we boarded and once at sea: again, very good.

 

Cagney’s is by far the best suite perk. Mom said she would not sale if she had to eat in the cafeteria every day. It is so wonderful to start your day with a leisurely meal at the top of the ship.

 

Afternoon snacks in suite: Our wonderful wonderful butler brought us a TON of food every afternoon: a whole new fruit bowl, a plate of cookies, a plate of sandwiches and a treat of the day. Four covered plates every afternoon plus the fruit bowl. Did we need it? No. Did we eat it? Of course!

 

Other dining venues:

Pool side bar-b-que: we had not taken this in on other cruises, I think because I thought it was hotdog/hamburger bar-b-que. But it isn’t: it was different flavored chicken each time and wonderful meats with flavored rice and good salads (salads appeared the same each day). There is not much seating, but our suite was so close we could grab a plate and take it back to the room. Do try this if you are looking for an alternative to the buffet.

 

Buffet: OK…sorry, I have to digress with a funny story: our first day, everyone went to Cagney’s for lunch except me. So, when they got back, I sent my 14 year old son to the buffet to make me a plate. I told him I wasn’t hungry for a burger or pizza, but just to get a few small helpings of a lot of things and I was sure I would be happy. He came back with a plate covered with plain white rice, topped with a handful of French fries, a skinny strip of some kind of beef (no sauce) and a small piece of fish (baked, no sauce) and a wedge of watermelon. Really? Plain rice and fries? I took a picture it was so wonderfully awful.

 

I am not a buffet person: I get flummoxed by the combinations of foods: am I really supposed to eat Chinese seafood stir fry with cauliflower and leek au gratin? So, my opinion is a bit biased: but I had some very good food and some not so good food at the buffet. Cauliflower and Leek au gratin was great, but Swedish meat ball was a bit dry and bland. Prime Rib was excellent, but pork chop was fossilized. Some desserts were wonderful, some were a bit off. Convenient, loud, plenty of choices and overall positive.

 

Venetian: dress code says kids can wear shorts; 14 year olds are not kids. Oops. DS was angry with me for not making him bring his dress slacks and embarrassed to eat in his solid grey lounge pants and polo instead of his plaid dress shorts and polo. Service excellent, food wonderful. Steak Diane was blissful. But the venue is so large, we like the smaller Aqua better.

 

Aqua: our go to favorite. Striploin Steak is I think a rib eye, and baked striploin is a prime rib, but both are very very good. Menus varied more on this ship than on previous sailings: I didn’t see the same thing show up on the right side of the menue between the four times we ate in the MDRs.

 

La Cucina: this was our first time trying the La Cucina venue. It is a little disconcerting, because it is an Italian restaurant in the space that was designed for the French Le Bistro, so the décor does not match the menu. Mom and I both had a pork scaloppini here that was not great, but everyone else liked their entrees. On the whole? Probably won’t be back because I just don’t see that the food is any better than it is in the no upcharge restaurants.

 

Moderno: much better on the Dawn than the Star, and wonderful. Filling, but wonderful. Tenderloin was on the rare side of rare, but I soldiered through. Salad bar and dessert flan was wonderful.

 

Room service: twice while we were at port we asked our butler to bring my mom lunch: she did a wonderful job and took very good care of my mother. On Saturday, she brought dinner in for the 20 somethings and my mother, again, she did a wonderful job. Loved my butler!

 

Entertainment:

One…the seats in the theatre are too low to the ground, and not particularly comfortable. Suite passengers can sit in the balcony, but the sightlines are not very good and the speakers are too close, it blows your socks off. We got used to entering the theatre on deck 6 and putting one person with my mom in the handicapped row and everyone else sitting on the side.

Band on the Run: good show, great dancing, mikes too loud and almost feedback for the last number.

Magician: good show, fun to try to figure out the how, some ends of some tricks so surprising you wish you could watch it again from the beginning.

Aerialists: only one show, last at sea day: excellent and well worth seeing.

Second City: some of the same jokes but still funny.

Elements: very good….but… OK, one, we saw elements on the Star a few years ago, so this one wasn’t as much of a surprise. Two, with the magician as the featured act, it is a little choppy compared to when the aerialists were the featured act. Still: well worth seeing and everyone should go.

 

Acts in other venues: Sorry all you who love the vocal acts, but they are not my cup of tea. Which would be OK, because not everything needs to appeal to me … but the vocal act in the atrium performed from the platform above the atrium bar resonates throughout the whole space, so you can’t carry on a conversation with dinner at Moderno or talk to your waiter at the Blue Lagoon. If you are waiting to talk to guest services or shore excursions, you will be forced to talk over the amplified voices. And it isn’t just the singing, but all the amplified chitter chatter in between. So you met at Club Med? Great, but does everyone in the 6 story atrium need to know that?

 

The steel drums in the pool area were much less invasive but again, amplified way way too high.

 

As the week went on, this became a bit of a running joke as we tried to talk above one musical act or another. My mom dreaded moving through the ship as we would be accosted by one musical act after another as we moved from fore to aft.

 

Cruise director and activities:

Loved Dingo Dave! He was by far the most engaging and least shmarmy cruise director we have had. We played trivia (a blast), folded napkins, did family kickball, learned to line dance, went a scrapbooking seminar and did a few crafts. 20 somethings did even more activities. Niece's favorite was the improv workshop with Second City. DS played on sports court and DD hung out in kids club. Everyone had more than enough to do at any moment of the day or night.

 

Ports:

Cozumel: took a cab to the Money Bar which was not too crowded at all despite there being 5 ships in port. Snorkeling was wonderful, food was OK, and margaritas were cold. Exchange rate was not great, and final bill for two plates of wings, one plate of squid rings, guacamole and chips and nachos with meat and cheese plus 4 drinks and 2 sodas was about 90.00 with tip. Changing room was pretty primitive and shower was outdoors. All in all: would definitely recommend, but tell people to order less food.

 

Belize: Mom and I stayed on the boat, DH, DD, DS and the 20 somethings went ashore and went cave tubing and zip lining with David of cavetubingrus.com. We had used David before for Lamanai and I would not hesitate for a second to recommend him again: he does a great great job and he loves his country and gives a lot of information. On the tour this year, the 20 somethings kept noticing times when they got a chance to do something that other tours walking by didn’t get a chance to do or when David would be explaining something to our group and people in other groups would stop to listen. His rate is about 10.00 more per person some other tours I saw, but all who went said they thought that was completely fair for all the extras they thought that they got. They stopped for a regional lunch of chicken and sides which was all very tasty.

 

I stayed on the boat and enjoyed my own private sundeck and hot tub forward on deck 13. A teeny tiny vacation from my family. So, a win for all concerned.

 

Honduras: We used the NCL ship excursion for Maya Key. This was the only port Mom got off the boat, and the staff were extremely helpful in helping her on and off the big boat and on and off the little boat. The island was wonderful for a walker, and although there was a big hill to get up and over when we first got there, my mom managed just fine.

 

This is a wonderful excursion. With two ships in port, it was never too crowded, and there were plenty of places to get away. No loud music blasting, just the sea, the palms, the squawks of the animals. Kids did the animal encounters (not as good as Gumbalina but pretty good none the less) and I snorkeled.

 

The seas were a little choppy, but the snorkeling was some of the favorite I’ve done. You follow a path out to the drop off, and you feel like you are in Finding Nemo looking back at a huge reef with all sorts of coral and fish. Loved it!

 

The reproduction ruins make good photo ops and the lunch of fish and chicken was very tasty. Staff was excellent.

 

Costa Maya: We took the people mover at $3.00pp to the first stop and back tracked to Blue Kay….but had a hard time finding a place to sit (Carnival Magic had disembarked about an hour before we did). We finally found a table right next to the bar, ordered some drinks and some guacamole, and by the time we were done with that, we were able to move to a shaded table outside. Snorkeling here was not the best, but the beach was very pretty. Vendors came and asked us if we wanted to buy anything, but we didn’t, and they accepted that. Staff was very attentive. Our bill here was a little lower than on Cozumel, but the snorkeling was a little bit of a letdown. Cab ride back was only $2.00pp and I learned a few Mayan phrases from our driver.

 

I messed up here a little bit….I started to get so paranoid on the beach when all the blue carnival towels left and I didn’t see any more white and green NCL towels. Pretty soon, the beach was full of locals, and I started to second guess my time changes and my watch…so we left the beach at a little bit before 2 even though our back on ship time was not until 3:30. Cab ride back was so easy, that we ended up back on the boat at 2:25. Five minutes before the welcome back party started on the dock. Wish I would have timed that better because I love the welcome back party.

 

All in all, Costa Maya was our least favorite port of call, but that is in part due to the fact that we liked our other shore days so much.

 

 

Other events:

  • White Hot party was pretty fun on the pool deck, I got to embarrass my kids with my newly learned line dances.
  • Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was very nice, wonderful to put faces to names, and fun to have people to say HI to people throughout the week.
  • Latitude gathering number one: missed it (oops!). So many things to remember your first sea day.
  • Suite captain’s reception: wonderful: rum punch, champagne, red or white wine, wait staff with appetizers including one who gave my son about 3 pounds of wonderful shrimp. Nice chance to pose for picture with captain. We missed this party last time we sailed on the Star, but will never miss this one again.
  • Latitude gathering number two: in Spinnaker, rum punch and wine. Didn’t win any of the prizes donated by the different areas (bottles of wine, bingo cards, lanyards, art work) but we had fun none the less.

 

After we left Costa Maya, we went to the early elements show and then to dinner at Moderno. We were surprised to see lights off the right hand side of the ship as we headed north. We found out that while we were in the show they had announced an unplanned stop at Cozumel for a medical evacuation. I hope that person is doing well.

 

Disembarkation:

We ate a Cagney’s one last time before we headed to the Spinaker to meet our Concierge. Guess what they had at the Spinaker? More food! Concierge arranged for wheel chair for my mom even if we didn’t because she knew how windy the path was. Left the back of the boat to disembark mid ship. Mom couldn’t find her key card, so we had to check her out manually.

Customs:

OK…another don’t judge me moment. My husband bought a case of Belekin beer…fine, no problem. And then, because he is a sucker for anything freakishly large or freakishly miniature he bought a 4.5 liter bottle (no that isn’t a typo) of Chivas Regal. So, he’s carrying off the boat way more than his 1 liter allotment. They allow us to account for it across all parties (even my not 21 year old niece) and waive the duty on the excess. Love my customs guy. Not my husband.

 

We manage to get the giant bottle, the case, the mom, the walker, and a bunch of the suitcases all the way to door number one of the terminal before we realize we forgot one of the suitcases. (sigh).

 

I asked one of the port workers, and she had someone find it and bring it forward, since there is no way for me to go back. Thank you NOLA Port!

 

Drive Home:

We got everything and every one loaded into the car and headed north by 9:00am, and stopped at Lambert’s in Sikeston for Easter Dinner. We ran into another family from the boat there, so we shared a washy washy happy happy and a smile.

 

Over all: (a few comparisons between cruises)

 

We have had a two bedroom family suite (Star) and a family suite with balcony (Dawn). Their names are so similar, that I’ll refer to them as 11th floor (the Star suite) and 12th floor (the Dawn suite: one of the ones carved out of the old Spiniker).

 

Loved the balcony with no cover on the 12th floor: great place to sun, star gaze, and much larger than our balcony on the 11th floor. Bathroom on 12th floor doesn’t lend itself to multiple people using it at the same time, but doesn’t have the glass stool stall door of the 11th floor so my husband was happy about that. Closet space and over all storage and surface space was better on the 12th floor. 12th floor suite lacked the cool entry that made you feel like you were entering a special space. 12th floor suite worked much better to have a larger group of people in for chatting or socializing. Easier to have one person getting dressed and another getting ready in the 11th floor than the 12th floor. Over all, I’d do a 12th floor over the 11th floor. However, we were only able to survive because we put all of the “girls” in the interior. If they were in with us, we would have been like Rumble Fish.

 

Dawn condition: OK…of all the stalls to be broken, does it have to be one of the two stalls in the women’s room next to the theatre entrance? That is a bathroom that always gets big lines and to be a one stall bathroom is pretty rough.

 

Three times while on board our toilet in our suite completely stopped flushing. Three times we reported it and three times it was fixed within 15 minutes. No real complaints there: the ship has tons of signage telling you not to put anything in the toilet except tissue, but all three times we were told someone had put something else in the line. Ship can’t help that people can’t follow directions.

 

Staff: on both the Jade and the Star the washy washy happy happy person was a highlight of the ship: their patter and their joy made my day. And I wasn’t alone, because at the Elements show at the end of the cruise on the Star, when the officers were all on stage, the last person who came out and the person who got the biggest ovation was the washy washy guy. So, on the Dawn, I missed that. Washy Washy on the Dawn was pretty much a downer.

 

And, on the Jade and the Star, hostesses in the MDR and especially Cagney’s remembered us after the first day. On the Dawn, with the exception of one waitress, I didn’t get the feeling anyone remembered us from one visit to the next.

 

But, our butler and our steward on the Dawn were the best we have ever ever had. And, I already mentioned I liked the Dawn Cruise Director more. My kids had more fun with the kids club staff on the Dawn.

 

So, all in all, it comes out as a wash. I would sail on any of the three ships I have already been on again in a heartbeat. And if weren't for the fact that I am still full from the last cruise, I wish I was on another one right now!!!

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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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I'll massacre their names if I type them from memory (their cards, like my dirty laundry, is still packed). Karabi was our concierge and Marivik our butler. Karabi was courteous and fine, and she did make us reservations in advance for the two specialty restaurants and on the fly for the MDRs. But Marivik really really stood out. On our last cruise, on the Star, I don't think we saw our butler more than a handful of times, but we saw Marivik a couple times a day, checking to see if we needed anything or would need anything. She was especially considerate of my mother and checked on her without asking a few times during the day when we were on shore.

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Ctrinh225

Ctrinh225

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Thank u! For ur review.....we will be on the Dawn 1/16 in a family suite and an inside right next to it. I'm also bringing my mom and she will probably stay mostly in the room....no charge for room service rite? R the coffees in the room edible? I love espresso and cappuccinos.....was there wines/beer/sodas free in the suites. I heard it was but conflicting answers. If we ordered RS late at night does the butler get it or we call someone else. Never had a suite from NCL so sorry for any questions. Can we wear shorts/normal wear for Cagneys for breakfast/lunch......and what is an appropriate extra tips for butler and steward and concierge.....I already pre paid my gratuities. Thanks again and sorry for any stupid questions

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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Thank u! For ur review.....we will be on the Dawn 1/16 in a family suite and an inside right next to it. I'm also bringing my mom and she will probably stay mostly in the room....no charge for room service rite? R the coffees in the room edible? I love espresso and cappuccinos.....was there wines/beer/sodas free in the suites. I heard it was but conflicting answers. If we ordered RS late at night does the butler get it or we call someone else. Never had a suite from NCL so sorry for any questions. Can we wear shorts/normal wear for Cagneys for breakfast/lunch......and what is an appropriate extra tips for butler and steward and concierge.....I already pre paid my gratuities. Thanks again and sorry for any stupid questions

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

No charge for room service on our sailing.

Fancy coffee machine in the suites that makes espressos that everyone raves about went unused in our suite: mom is the only coffee drinker, and she is a decaf black not an espresso girl.

In our class of suite, there was a large bottle of water and a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation, but no other beverages provided free of charge. There is a mini bar, but it is NOT complimentary.

We ordered orange juice on our last at sea day and drank mimosas on deck with our bottle of wine.

We only called our Butler for room service. We never ordered any really late at night (because by then we were too full to eat).

Shorts and all are fine in Cagney's during the day.

Tips are a hot hot topic here on the board, and I can't tell you what appropriate is.

Our steward's tip is part of the DSC, but he was soooo wonderful and he had so much extra work to take our Murphy bed and sofa bed up and down and up and down we tipped him extra.

Our butler was soooo wonderful, she got the biggest of our tips. She gets no percentage of the DSC, so we tipped her x per meal she delivered, and y per day for all the snacks and the attention each day.

We weren't loving the concierge as much, so she got less than our butler. She is not part of the DSC though...so we did tip her y per day.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help!

Edited by FitchburgWIFamily
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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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When are the Latitudes and Suite parties held? !

 

I think:

Suite party was in the evening of dress up or not night, which I think was day two.

Silver Latitudes gathering was in the afternoon of our first day at sea.

Latitudes gathering was on our last sea day in the afternoon.

 

Hope this helps!

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buckeyemommy16

buckeyemommy16

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Thanks for the review!! We will be on the Dawn in an SJ over New Year's with DS 5 and DD who will be turning 12 on the cruise. Can you give any additional info about the kids club? Did your DD enjoy it even though she had to go to the younger club?

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mattio

mattio

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Awesome review. We will also be sailing on the Dawn in December in a suite (12020) and will have friends in an inside room, so 6 people total.

 

Did you ever have the butler bring room service for breakfast? I was considering having the butler bring 6 entrees on some morning to the room, for us and our friends in the inside room to enjoy. Is this appropriate?

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BayStateguppy

BayStateguppy

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Thanks for the excellent review! I learned something new! Cagneys for breakfast and lunch! I didn't know about this. Sailing in an aft suite to Bermuda in May. First time in a suite - besides this and the bottle of bubbly, is there anything else I should know?

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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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Thanks for the review!! We will be on the Dawn in an SJ over New Year's with DS 5 and DD who will be turning 12 on the cruise. Can you give any additional info about the kids club? Did your DD enjoy it even though she had to go to the younger club?

 

Kids club is great! The staff seemed excellent, and when my too cool for school daughter did attend, she did have fun. There was some play time when all age groups (except the wee wee ones) were together, and some time when they were divided by age.

 

Kids club on the Dawn seemed better laid out and organized than on the Star...easier to get to, too.

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FitchburgWIFamily Great Review Rare

FitchburgWIFamily

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Did you ever have the butler bring room service for breakfast? I was considering having the butler bring 6 entrees on some morning to the room, for us and our friends in the inside room to enjoy. Is this appropriate?

 

I don't believe there is any issue at all with the butler getting more food than you have suite passengers. They might quibble because as suite guests, you can order from the Cagney's menu as well as the room service menu, but assuming you didn't try to order 6 crabs cake benedict, you should be OK.

 

However, you only have one small table, and by the time your butler sets up the table cloth, the napkins, the coffee cups, etc., you would be really tight for space. And two of you will have to eat on the sofa or something.

 

Have fun!

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SamboniMan

SamboniMan

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Thank you so much for your review! We are sailing on the Dawn next March in a Family Suite (no balcony) and an inside cabin across the hall. We are not sure what to expect so I have been combing the cruise critic boards. Your post has been the most helpful by far! Thank you!

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kiberkid

kiberkid

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But Marivik really really stood out. On our last cruise, on the Star, I don't think we saw our butler more than a handful of times, but we saw Marivik a couple times a day, checking to see if we needed anything or would need anything. She was especially considerate of my mother and checked on her without asking a few times during the day when we were on shore.

 

Marivik was our butler as well. Absolute top notch. Could not have asked for anyone sweeter, more caring or more professional. She was our first butler experience & I have a feeling no one else will measure up to her standards.

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dstreefrog

dstreefrog

Posted
Posted (edited)
Thanks for the excellent review! I learned something new! Cagneys for breakfast and lunch! I didn't know about this. Sailing in an aft suite to Bermuda in May. First time in a suite - besides this and the bottle of bubbly, is there anything else I should know?

Hey guppy - come visit the roll call for May 1

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1983589

 

 

I'm in aft suite too .. which deck are you on?

 

treefrog

Edited by dstreefrog
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