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Chach's Dawn Bermuda Cruise Aug 5th - Aug 12th 2016

amberjohn

By amberjohn,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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amberjohn

amberjohn

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Intro:

We took this same cruise last Summer (pre-dry dock) so I will be comparing the two cruises. We had a wonderful cruise and thought all the changes made the Ship look like new. The were 5 of us on this cruise. There was my wife (Nancy) and I (John). There was my son (Johnny) who turned 21 on the cruise. The final 2 were my daughter (Amber) and her Fiancé Brandon (who would like to be referred to as "Legit" for his Ping-Pong and Basketball talents on the ship) both in their mid 20's. Nancy and I had the UBP promo and went crazy with it. We are not big drinkers but thought we would take advantage of this deal to try out many, many drinks. We slept over Amber's apartment in Milford NH on Wednesday August 4th which would get us 45 minutes closer to Port. I know that timing and location can make or break many aspects of a vacation. I think both were working in our favor because we had few issues with drink lines, crowded pools or negative experiences.

Edited by amberjohn
wrong location
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amberjohn

amberjohn

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Day One, Friday August 5th:

We left early on the 5th assuming we would hit a lot of Boston traffic. We left at 8:30am for a 10:30am check in. There was very light traffic and we got to the port at 9:40am. We were all parked, checked in and seated by 10am. The time went by fast and we were boarded by Noon. Once on board we got our first drinks and then headed to the Venetian for lunch. This is probably our only negative comment on the rehab. I think the person who selected the pictures for the Venetian must have been on the UBP promo also, they were hideous. By the time we left the Venetian our inside cabin, 5th floor was ready and we dropped off our bags. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Pool, hot tub, drinking and watching the poolside entertainment. At 7pm we went to the Venetian for dinner. After dinner we went to different locations around the ship to listen to different music. Our evening ended with chicken wings at O'Sheehan's and then we all passed out by midnight. (miles walked around ship today was 5.34)

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amberjohn

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Day Two, Saturday August 6th:

We lost an hour (set clocks ahead) so we had breakfast at 9am. First on the agenda was the Ping-Pong tournament which was won by my future SIL (legit). The rest of the afternoon we hung out at the pool/hot tub. Late afternoon we did our own thing. Amber and Johnny entered the Shuffleboard tournament and won third place. "Legit" played basketball. Nancy and I watched "Deal or No Deal" and then watched the "Close Up show of Dave DaVinci (very good show). To save time, we decided to eat our dinner at the Garden Cafe. We ate and changed our clothes and went to the 7pm showing of "Band on the Run (my favorite show)". After the show we went to the hot

tub. We changed our clothes and went to O'Sheehan's for wings and other snacks. We ate, drank, and listened to the "Masquerade Duo". We then proceeded to the Bliss Lounge to listen to some 70's music. It was 2am when we went to bed. (miles walked around ship today was 3.0)

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amberjohn

amberjohn

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Day Three, Sunday August 7th:

Today we had our only sit down breakfast, which was at O'Sheehan's. It was time

for the ship to dock in Bermuda so we went to the top deck to watch. We packed up

our snorkel gear and headed off the ship to Snorkel Park Beach which is a short walk

from the Ship. On our previous two cruises there was no charge for the beach on

Sundays. This time there was a $5.00 charge per person. We put on our water shoes

and snorkeled 1:30pm-3:30pm. The swimmers were stirring up the sand so the

visibility was not as clear in the shallower water. Once we got out a little deeper we

saw many more fish. We headed back to the ship at 4pm leaving Amber and Johnny

at the beach to get more sun. We all showered and went to Bamboo for dinner. The

food was very good but the service was the slowest we experienced all week. After

dinner we went to the "Who wants to be a Billionaire" at 8pm. This was run very

poorly. Every time the contestant was going to get the answer wrong they would steer

him towards the right answer. At 9pm we watched the show, "Showdown" which is

similar to the TV show "the Voice". This was another very good show. After the show

we went to the "Island Night Deck Party" on the Pool deck. We sampled some late

night snacks at the Garden Cafe. After the Party we took our nightly trip to

O'Sheehan's for chicken wings. After eating the kids went out and we headed to bed

at 1am. (miles walked around ship and dockyard today was 7.7)

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Cubechick

Cubechick

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I haven't seen a menu for bamboo I know it's Asian food but what kind of items on the menu thanks for the review

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

I thought Bamboo was gone as it isn't listed as a restaurant I can make reservations for. Glad it is still on board.

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amberjohn

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Day Four, Monday August 8th:

We all met up at 8am for breakfast at Garden Cafe. Johnny gave Amber and "Legit" a

Jet Ski excursion (for a birthday and Engagement gift) and we gave Johnny a Jet Ski

excursion for part of his 21st birthday gift. They had to be at the KS Sports office at

9am to sign waivers for the 9:31am departure. In Bermuda you cannot rent a Jet Ski

on your own. You get your own Jet Ski but you ride out with a "leader" and a total of

6 riders. As they road out on their Skis we took pictures. I wanted to take pictures of

them returning from the deck of the Dawn so we headed back. The tour takes 75

minutes which gave us time to walk back to the ship, take some pictures of the ship. go

up to the 12th deck, get a drink and get set up in the front of the ship for pictures. I

was able to take about 25 decent pictures until Nancy realized I was taking pictures of

the wrong group. I re-adjusted and then was able to take pictures of my actual family.

Once they were done they met us at the Garden Cafe for lunch. All three of them

loved the Jet Ski experience and wanted to do it again. After lunch we left the ship and

took a ride (complimentary) on the train that tours the Dockyard. We got off at the

"Bermuda Fun Golf" (mini golf) and played a round (thanks Legit and Amber) at $15

a player. This was a lot of fun. The sun was intense but the course and views were

gorgeous. We left the golf and visited all the stores on the Dockyard. Johnny bought

some Cuban cigars and we bought a bowl for my Mother. We went back to the Dawn

at 5pm. We showered and dressed for 7pm dinner at the Aqua. We had a great

waitress (Nancy) and our best meal of the trip so far. We went to the 9pm "Second

City" Comedy Show. We didn't care a lot for the show a year ago and we didn't like it

any better this year. Once the show was over we went to O'Sheehan's for more wings

and snacks. We have another early day tomorrow so we all went to bed around

midnight. (miles walked around ship and dockyard today was 9.5)

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amberjohn

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Day Five, Tuesday August 9th:

We met early for breakfast at 8am. We had a 9am Catamaran/Snorkel excursion. I

chose the "Restless Native" for four reasons. It had the best reviews, the best cost, the

longest time out and the best "treats". The Catamaran tied up right near the Dawn and

we all chose a nice comfortable spot on the netting with large bean bag pillows. The

40 minute ride was smooth and relaxing. We anchored close to a small private beach.

You could swim, sunbathe, use a paddleboard, kayak or snorkel. Complimentary

water, juice, rum swizzles or fresh cooked chocolate chip cookies were at our disposal.

We got back at 12:30pm. Amber and Legit went shopping. The rest of us went up to

the pool area. We all met up and went to O'Sheehan's for a delicious lunch. After

lunch we went back to the 12th/13th deck to watch the Ship depart from Bermuda at

5pm. The Dawn left almost an hour late because two separate couple decided to

saunter back to the Ship to the Jeers of their fellow cruisers. I'm not sure but at one

point it looked like a security car was sent out to find the stragglers? Once the ship

was out at Sea we went to the 7pm "Dave DaVinci show". We all liked the show but it

wasn't one of our favorites. As good as his close-up show was (couldn't figure out how

he did the illusions) the night show with the bigger props was a lot easier to figure out.

Back to the Aqua we went and had our second best meal of the cruise. We were

hoping to have a drink and celebrate my sons 21st birthday at midnight. Johnny had

gotten so much sun and little sleep over the previous 3 days that he didn't feel well and

fell asleep at 11pm so we would have to celebrate on his actual birthday, August 10th.

We decorated the room with balloons, pictures and banners and went to bed.

(miles walked around ship and dockyard today was 3.2)

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jimswims

jimswims

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I thought Bamboo was gone as it isn't listed as a restaurant I can make reservations for. Glad it is still on board.

 

Hi there Cubechick! I think that you got your answer but I understand that Bamboo is now part of the complimentary dining choices. I just wanted to say hi. I see you are going on the Dawn repo. I doubt I have to say this but please take pictures:). We will be on the Dawn again next August. It will be our first cruise in 5 years:eek:.

 

Hope you are well and hope to see you on a ship soon.

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amberjohn

amberjohn

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Day Six, Wednesday August 10th:

We woke up early and gave Johnny his Birthday cupcake and gift. Johnny was glad

that the clocks were set back and he could enjoy a 25 hour Birthday. We all went up

to the Garden Cafe for breakfast at 9am. Nancy and I went to a show called "Bar bets

and Tricks" which was fun. After the show we hung around the pool (clean water)

until 1:30pm. We entered another Ping-Pong tournament (Legit won again) and

played some family Shuffleboard. Nancy and I ate lunch at O'Sheehan's so that we

could watch the Dave DaVinci Q&A that was happening in the Atrium. Back to the

pool again until 5pm. We went to Venetian for a Birthday dinner. Our waitress

(Baby) was great. The staff sang Happy Birthday to my son and brought him a cake

for dessert. After dinner we went to the 9pm "Elements Show", which was very good.

Once the show was over we went to the "White Hot Party" on the pool deck until

12:30am. We went to the cabin and the kids went to the After Party.

(miles walked around ship today was 4.8)

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