NCL Dawn or Carnival Dream

[KJCruiser13]

Hi!

 

We are planning a cruise next April and are looking at either the Carnival Dream or NCL Dawn out of New Orleans. This will be our first cruise since having kids (we aren't going to be taking them with us) so I'm a little nervous.

We have cruised on Carnival and Royal before, but not Norwegian. Has anyone been on both the Dream and the Dawn?

Since we aren't taking the kids with us, I'd rather a ship that is less kid friendly, but still with lots going on. It seems like the Dawn would attract less kids than the Dream, but I'm worried we might not have enough to do on the Dawn (never having been on NCL before, I'm unsure). I think having lots of little ones on board will make us miss ours even more.

On the Dream, we would be able to get a balcony room for the same price as an interior room on the Dawn. The ports are difference, but make no difference to us. Usually, the ship is what makes or breaks the trip.

Any suggestions?

[jpcdds6]

Love the Dawn and Jewel class ships. Perfect size, and capacity. The Dawn has just gone through a refurbishment, and I hear is looking great. As far as how many kids are on board, April is vacation time for a lot of school systems. It depends what week you are planning. I would expect more kids on Carnival than NCL as a general rule. What type of cabin are you looking at? Maybe I can help you with that.

[nets33]

I've been on both the Dawn and the Dream.

 

After our last cruise on Carnival, which was the Dream out of NOLA, DH and I both agreed that it may be a while before we sail Carnival again. There was nothing horrible or bad about the trip but the entire cruise just left us with a feeling of "meh". Nothing really stood out to us as making the trip special. No great staff, no special dinners. Any cruise is a good cruise but given a choice we'd go elsewhere.

 

Things you should consider...

 

If you prefer set dining times then Carnival will be your best bet. NCL's freestyle is perfect if you prefer to do your own thing and eat whenever you are hungry.

 

Carnival's entertainment is mostly scheduled around the two set dining times, DH and I often found ourselves without any entertainment because we didn't do the set dining. NCL ships will have entertainment that spans throughout the evening so that at any given time there will be something going on.

 

I can't really comment on the "kid friendly" part of the ship. I don't know that either ship would really attract more or less kids - that will depend on the time of the year you sail. In April it is likely that there may be a spring break and there will be kids. I don't recall any issues with too many kids on either the Dawn or the Dream.

 

If it comes down to what room you have - a balcony vs interior - then it might be better to go with Carnival. Have you considered that the balcony cabin price on NCL may include some of the current promotions (i.e. drink package, specialty dining) which make make the balcony room price appear higher?

 

If I can answer any other questions let me know.

[jpcdds6]

Hi!

 

We are planning a cruise next April and are looking at either the Carnival Dream or NCL Dawn out of New Orleans. This will be our first cruise since having kids (we aren't going to be taking them with us) so I'm a little nervous.

We have cruised on Carnival and Royal before, but not Norwegian. Has anyone been on both the Dream and the Dawn?

Since we aren't taking the kids with us, I'd rather a ship that is less kid friendly, but still with lots going on. It seems like the Dawn would attract less kids than the Dream, but I'm worried we might not have enough to do on the Dawn (never having been on NCL before, I'm unsure). I think having lots of little ones on board will make us miss ours even more.

On the Dream, we would be able to get a balcony room for the same price as an interior room on the Dawn. The ports are difference, but make no difference to us. Usually, the ship is what makes or breaks the trip.

Any suggestions?

If the balcony is important to you then it's a no brainer, but are you getting any perks with either booking?

[CorvetteLady]

I've been on both the Dawn and the Dream. I would always go with a balcony over an interior, plus the cabins on the Dream will be bigger.

 

Disagree with the poster that said entertainment is difficult because of set dinner times on Carnival. The Dawn has two show times, we eat early so always had to wait for the second show, many nights we just went back to our cabin. There are not that many choices for night time entertainment on the Dawn, Carnival has comedians and much more. Guess it depends on what kind of entertainment you like. I do like that the Dawn's main show room has individual seats as opposed to the bench seats on the Dream.

 

Carnival does offer the anytime dining too. They also have Guys Burgers, really good! More extra charge restaurants on the Dawn, many are now ala carte so not a set charge. We got the free dining option, that was good for the most part. It's been a few years since we've been on Carnival but I'd say the food in the main dining rooms on both ships was about the same.

 

The Dream is a bigger ship so I think it has more to do but the Dawn is a nice ship too. Best advice is to read the reviews on both ships, you can find out a lot that way.

 

As far as children go well just make sure it's not a big spring break week. We sailed once in June on the Carnival Fantasy, it's about the same size as the Dawn, there were a lot of kids, I was amazed when they said how many because we really didn't notice them that much.

 

I think you will enjoy either ship, just depends what is most important to you. Good luck!

 

[nets33]

Disagree with the poster that said entertainment is difficult because of set dinner times on Carnival. The Dawn has two show times, we eat early so always had to wait for the second show, many nights we just went back to our cabin. There are not that many choices for night time entertainment on the Dawn, Carnival has comedians and much more. Guess it depends on what kind of entertainment you like.

 

 

To clarify I was talking about entertainment other than the main show. DH and I don't usually go to the main shows (I don't find them all that good IMO). The entertainment I was speaking of was finding musicians/bands in lounge areas for before and after dinner (or later). NCL has a much better selection of live musicians than Carnival has.

 

Depending on what you are looking for in entertainment - the main shows, comedy show or music - each line has different options.

[mabones]

We have been on both. I would prefer the Dawn. There seems to be more to do on an NCL ship. Granted the last time I was on the Dawn (before 2.0 update) there was no outdoor movies. We did enjoy them on the Dream. The Dawn had more venues available to eat. You will also find more kids on Dawn especially with the kids sail free. We found that last February on the Jade out of NOLA. As a previous poster mentioned, I would check out the reviews on both ships & also the Deck Plans to see what is available for food & beverage. Also, NCL Beverage Package is a great deal IMO, as well as, the Gratuities Package.

[bhorney32]

The dream is one of my least favorite ships in carnival. There is a lot to do, but the entertainment was lacking. The only type of music that was play was country, unless you like that, if so, you'll have a blast. Disembarkation was very rushed and stressful. Not a pleasant ship, in my opinion.

I have not sailed NCL, but out of the choices, I would pick the Dawn.

 

 

Carnival Sunshine- June 21, 2014

Carnival Valor- June 20, 2015

Carnival Dream- June 19, 2016

Carnival Ecstasy- October 15, 2016

[KJCruiser13]

Love the Dawn and Jewel class ships. Perfect size, and capacity. The Dawn has just gone through a refurbishment, and I hear is looking great. As far as how many kids are on board, April is vacation time for a lot of school systems. It depends what week you are planning. I would expect more kids on Carnival than NCL as a general rule. What type of cabin are you looking at? Maybe I can help you with that.

 

 

On the Dream, we were looking at the balcony room, deck 7 April 23-30 for $1,773

On the Dawn, we were looking at an inside room, mid ship, deck 8 April 2-9 for $1,689 with the daily gratuities included.

It looks like most spring breaks will be in March next year so I'm hoping that'll help with the crowd of kids.

[KJCruiser13]

I've been on both the Dawn and the Dream.

 

After our last cruise on Carnival, which was the Dream out of NOLA, DH and I both agreed that it may be a while before we sail Carnival again. There was nothing horrible or bad about the trip but the entire cruise just left us with a feeling of "meh". Nothing really stood out to us as making the trip special. No great staff, no special dinners. Any cruise is a good cruise but given a choice we'd go elsewhere.

 

Things you should consider...

 

If you prefer set dining times then Carnival will be your best bet. NCL's freestyle is perfect if you prefer to do your own thing and eat whenever you are hungry.

 

Carnival's entertainment is mostly scheduled around the two set dining times, DH and I often found ourselves without any entertainment because we didn't do the set dining. NCL ships will have entertainment that spans throughout the evening so that at any given time there will be something going on.

 

I can't really comment on the "kid friendly" part of the ship. I don't know that either ship would really attract more or less kids - that will depend on the time of the year you sail. In April it is likely that there may be a spring break and there will be kids. I don't recall any issues with too many kids on either the Dawn or the Dream.

 

If it comes down to what room you have - a balcony vs interior - then it might be better to go with Carnival. Have you considered that the balcony cabin price on NCL may include some of the current promotions (i.e. drink package, specialty dining) which make make the balcony room price appear higher?

 

If I can answer any other questions let me know.

 

We haven't been on Carnival in a while and said the same thing after the last cruise we went on with them. We've been on Royal ever since, but there aren't any departures out of New Orleans, which is our closest port, so we only have NCL or Carnival to choose from.

It looks like most spring breaks will be in mid March next year, so I think we may miss that crowd going in April.

The price for the balcony room on the Dream was $1,773 and the interior room on the Dawn was $1,689 with daily gratuities included. I thought about choosing the drink package, but I'm not sure how that works. I don't drink very much, and my husband usually does beer buckets, but I've read those aren't included. Plus on port days, we spend the whole time off of the ship, so we wouldn't be drinking very much that day. Have you gotten the drink package before?

The dining time doesn't matter much as long as we wont have to wait very long for a table with the freestyle option. Did you find there were long wait times? The quality of the food is more important to us.

We like the broadway or circ du soleil type shows and comedians, but we really like to hang out in piano bars or pubs, or out on the deck. We LOVE the game shows, so if those are better on one or the other, that would be a plus.

Our last cruise was on Oasis of the Seas for our honeymoon so we're looking for a ship that won't be a huge disappointment from that.

[KJCruiser13]

If the balcony is important to you then it's a no brainer, but are you getting any perks with either booking?

 

The balcony isn't super important. We don't spend much time in the room usually. I think we would enjoy a balcony, but I wouldn't want to pay a whole lot more for it.

With NCL we are getting the daily gratuities included in the rate.

The balcony on the Dream is 1,773 and the interior room on the Dawn with gratuities is $1,689. No perks with the Carnival booking.

[jpcdds6]

On the Dream, we were looking at the balcony room, deck 7 April 23-30 for $1,773

On the Dawn, we were looking at an inside room, mid ship, deck 8 April 2-9 for $1,689 with the daily gratuities included.

It looks like most spring breaks will be in March next year so I'm hoping that'll help with the crowd of kids.

To be honest, that balcony price is hard to beat. Not to knock Carnival, and I have sailed both, personally I prefer NCL. If you plan on having some drinks, and I mean more than a couple a day, then maybe a balcony on the Dawn with the free drink package in addition to gratuities will even it out a little.

[KJCruiser13]

I've been on both the Dawn and the Dream. I would always go with a balcony over an interior, plus the cabins on the Dream will be bigger.

 

Disagree with the poster that said entertainment is difficult because of set dinner times on Carnival. The Dawn has two show times, we eat early so always had to wait for the second show, many nights we just went back to our cabin. There are not that many choices for night time entertainment on the Dawn, Carnival has comedians and much more. Guess it depends on what kind of entertainment you like. I do like that the Dawn's main show room has individual seats as opposed to the bench seats on the Dream.

 

Carnival does offer the anytime dining too. They also have Guys Burgers, really good! More extra charge restaurants on the Dawn, many are now ala carte so not a set charge. We got the free dining option, that was good for the most part. It's been a few years since we've been on Carnival but I'd say the food in the main dining rooms on both ships was about the same.

 

The Dream is a bigger ship so I think it has more to do but the Dawn is a nice ship too. Best advice is to read the reviews on both ships, you can find out a lot that way.

 

As far as children go well just make sure it's not a big spring break week. We sailed once in June on the Carnival Fantasy, it's about the same size as the Dawn, there were a lot of kids, I was amazed when they said how many because we really didn't notice them that much.

 

I think you will enjoy either ship, just depends what is most important to you. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks!! Its looking like most spring breaks will be in March next year, so we should be good with our April sailing. We do like comedians, game shows and if there is a good broadway type show, we would be interested in it. We also like to hang out at a piano bar or pub too. Live music is a plus.

Not too picky on the dining times as long as there isn't a huge waitlist when reservations aren't required. I'm a vegetarian though and hadn't thought about the options I would have yet. Any idea if there would be more options on food on either ship?

Are there daily activities on both ships? Something going on by the pool?

[KJCruiser13]

I've been looking at the beverage package. I don't drink all that much and my husband usually does beer buckets, but I've read those aren't included. Do you know if there is bottled beer or if it's just draft?

[jpcdds6]

Oh they have bottles. And bottles. And more bottles.

[mabones]

Beer buckets are not included but Draft & bottled beer is & my DH did not miss those at all. You can experiment with different drinks & not feel like your wasting money if you don't like it. All you will pay is the Service Charge which is about $200. Its great having a balcony when you are sailing down the Mississippi. NCL has a lot of entertainment in the Evening. Right now they are offering both UBP and Gratuities. Carnival doesn't.

[KJCruiser13]

Beer buckets are not included but Draft & bottled beer is & my DH did not miss those at all. You can experiment with different drinks & not feel like your wasting money if you don't like it. All you will pay is the Service Charge which is about $200. Its great having a balcony when you are sailing down the Mississippi. NCL has a lot of entertainment in the Evening. Right now they are offering both UBP and Gratuities. Carnival doesn't.

 

For a balcony on the Dawn (midship, like the Dream option), its $2988...a little over $1,000 more than the Dream. I'm not sure if we would spend that much in alcohol and gratuities. We haven't sailed since having kids, but our usual alcohol bill was around $600 before. Is that typical?

[jpcdds6]

For a balcony on the Dawn (midship, like the Dream option), its $2988...a little over $1,000 more than the Dream. I'm not sure if we would spend that much in alcohol and gratuities. We haven't sailed since having kids, but our usual alcohol bill was around $600 before. Is that typical?

I think with the savings on drinks and the gratuities, it would be pretty close. Maybe still a little more for the Dawn, but not much more.

[mabones]

If it was around $600 then you will be saving $400 with the Package. Are you flexible on where your Stateroom has to be? Also take into consideration what Ports you will be going to. Either way, you still have to pay your Gratuities each day. They are automatically added on to your Sign & Sail account.

 

Personally, I would choose the Dawn for her Itinerary & Packages.

[Nola26]

On the Dream, we were looking at the balcony room, deck 7 April 23-30 for $1,773

On the Dawn, we were looking at an inside room, mid ship, deck 8 April 2-9 for $1,689 with the daily gratuities included.

It looks like most spring breaks will be in March next year so I'm hoping that'll help with the crowd of kids.

 

Keep in mind if you select the balcony on the Dawn you'll also have a second perk choice so you can get the drink package for the two of you. Compare that price to what you'd expect to pay for drinks plus the cabin on Carnival.

 

You're also pretty far out for the cruise, prices drop and promos change so you may be able to get an even more appealing deal in the future. I'm not sure how rebooking works with Carnival, but it is quite easy with NCL.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Nola26

[nets33]

To answer some of your questions.... My responses in green:

 

Have you gotten the drink package before? We have our first drink package on our next NCL cruise which came as a perk. The plus is any drink less than $15 is included which covers most drinks. We have never purchased the package before because we enjoy bottles of wine with dinner. But the free drink package as part of our perks will still allow us to have a glasses of wine. In pricing out paying for a package we would usually break even or be slightly under if we had paid for it.

 

The dining time doesn't matter much as long as we wont have to wait very long for a table with the freestyle option. Did you find there were long wait times? The first night on board always seems to be the worst for the freestyle dining as many people are on the same schedule after the muster drill. The most I've waited was 20-30 minutes and that was not normal. If there is a wait you'll get a pager and NCL often offers a free glass of bubbly. A wait of 5-10 minutes has been my average wait.

 

And if one dining room is busy you can always check to see if the other is less crowded.

 

The quality of the food is more important to us. DH and I enjoy the food on both NCL and RCI. We feel that NCL's new menus have improved. Food is very subjective but I think you'll find options that you enjoy. They do offer vegetarian meals. You can talk to the dining room staff to see what options will be available for the next night to see how they can accommodate you.

 

We like the broadway or circ du soleil type shows and comedians, but we really like to hang out in piano bars or pubs, or out on the deck. We LOVE the game shows, so if those are better on one or the other, that would be a plus. We found that NCL had many more live entertainment options for musicians than the Dream. The shows (the ones I've seen) are pretty comparable.

 

 

Our last cruise was on Oasis of the Seas for our honeymoon so we're looking for a ship that won't be a huge disappointment from that. DH and I were also on the Oasis. It's hard to compare the Oasis to other ships as it is so big and the Central Park is very unique. We did like the Oasis but felt that it really didn't connect you to the ocean like other ships. With the Dawn have just undergone a referb it looks beautiful (from the photos I've seen) and it has a more traditional layout than the Oasis.

 

Are there daily activities on both ships? Something going on by the pool? There is always something going on by the pool for both Carnival and NCL. Many daily activities on both lines like trivia, Bingo, dancing classes, wine tasting, martini tasting, etc. You can search the forums to see the type of daily activities that both ships will offer. There was always more things to do on both Carnival and NCL than I really had time for. :)

 

Edited to add:

If you really enjoyed RCI's Oasis I think you'd prefer NCL Dawn over Carnival Dream. You might want to consider how much you would spend on drinks and see if moving to balcony on the Dawn would impact the pricing. You might find that paying the extra for the balcony on the Dawn is actually a better deal for you. DH and I usually book insides for 7-day cruises, for our next two trips we are in balcony cabins. The price of the balcony was much higher than the inside but it included the beverage package. If we had gone with the inside and paid out of pocket for our drinks we would have spent just as much as paying for the balcony room and getting the drink package.

Edited September 28, 2016 by nets33

[CorvetteLady]

Thanks!! Its looking like most spring breaks will be in March next year, so we should be good with our April sailing. We do like comedians, game shows and if there is a good broadway type show, we would be interested in it. We also like to hang out at a piano bar or pub too. Live music is a plus.

Not too picky on the dining times as long as there isn't a huge waitlist when reservations aren't required. I'm a vegetarian though and hadn't thought about the options I would have yet. Any idea if there would be more options on food on either ship?

Are there daily activities on both ships? Something going on by the pool?

 

The Dawn had two production shows, singers & dancers with a theme. The had entertainment in the main theater every night. When we were on the Dream they had a great show with acrobats, not sure if they still do that.

 

The Dawn does not have a dedicated piano bar. There's was a piano in the lobby area between the French & Italian restaurant. Not sure if it's still there since the dry dock. The Dream does have a piano bar that is open every night.

 

Both ships will have activities. The Dream is a bigger ship, more areas to have activities in. You'll probably be able to find the daily activity sheets from each ship, many people post them. I wish I could remember what they are called on each ship, I've seen them referred to as the dailies on NCL.

[CorvetteLady]

I forgot about the drink package. We had it as a perk on our March 2015 cruise. We are not big drinkers but we did try to drink more since it was free. I kept track to see how much we actually drank, our bill would have been $250. Now the value of the package is over $700, so we didn't even come close. Something to consider if you are trying to decide if paying more for a cabin is worth it because of the perks.

[JillL]

My "vote" would be for the Dawn. Unless the conditions were just so with Carnival, I would choose NCL over Carnival every time.

 

But you may not want to put too much weight on the price. Yes, that is obviously important; however, if you are a year out, either price could change significantly. We booked a nine day cruise with NCL (for 12/2017) at $2200 for an interior, and two months later, it dropped $600. We are under $1600 now for three people... for a nine day...!

Edited September 29, 2016 by JillL

[JillL]

My "vote" would be for the Dawn. Unless the conditions were just so with Carnival, I would choose NCL over Carnival every time.

 

But you may not want to put too much weight on the price. Yes, that is obviously important; however, if you are a year out, either price could change significantly. We booked a nine day cruise with NCL (for 12/2017) at $2200 for an interior, and two months later, it dropped $600. We are under $1600 now for three people... for a nine day...!

 

 

 

Sorry... you're not a year out... my mistake... but you are still out far enough for either price to change.