NCL Dawn 2/18-2/25 Review

[shera1209]

Hi everyone! Well, now that there is a huge nor'easter going on in NJ, I thought it would be a great time to write a review of our cruise and reminisce about the beautiful, tropical weather we had there. Sigh.

 

I am a teacher, and I have off for a week in February each year. This was our 4th cruise overall and our 3rd February cruise. We previously cruised on the Star to Bermuda in August 2012, the Gem in February 2016, and the Dawn in February 2017. We were originally booked on the Epic, but I had some reservations about it due to the layout of the ship and the embarkation issues I read about on here. Therefore. we switched to the Dawn even though it was the same itinerary as last year. We figured we had such a blast last year, we figured we would sail her again!

 

Hotel: While last year we cruised out of New Orleans, this year it was Tampa. The day before the cruise, we drove to Philadelphia Airport and left my car there for the week. We took a direct flight to Tampa and were picked up by the Holiday Inn Westshore shuttle. We had booked a cruise package through them that included the room, breakfast, transportation to and from the airport, and transportation to the cruise port. The transportation and room were fine, but the restaurant was disorganized.

 

Embarkation: While waiting in the hotel lobby for the shuttle to the cruise port, we made friends with bweeble, who turned out to be the nicest people! We got to the port, and embarkation was a breeze. We were on the ship very quickly, enjoying our first drinks up on the pool deck.

 

Beverages: We had the UBP and $50 shore excursion credits. We certainly made the most of the beverage package. While we're not big drinkers for 11 months out of the year, we make up for it on our February cruises! All around the ship, the bartenders were fantastic, but the best ones were at O'Sheehans. Leo and Mas remembered who we were (OK, so we were there a lot . . . ) and greeted us by name. They were awesome. Overall, we love the UBP because we don't have to worry about how much money we're spending throughout the week. We can just relax and have fun.

 

Food: We are not big foodies, so we don't do the UDP. However, we discovered Los Lobos last year and LOVED it, especially the tableside guacamole. We ate there twice this year and went one additional time to enjoy tequila shots and the guacamole. Every time, everything was delicious. Otherwise, we enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner. The dinner selections were not appetizing at all. My husband also loves the hamburgers and hot dogs setup by the pool, so we ate lunch out there many days. We love hibachi, so we booked Teppanyaki for the first time. The food and show were good, but I don't think I would do it again since we could go to the hibachi place where we live. We also had two wonderful dinners in the Venetian with out fabulous waiters Petu and Akash. We also ate there for lunch one day. Finally, we had one dinner in O'Sheehans, which was fine.

 

Crew: Everyone we encountered was super friendly and helpful. At the end of the cruise, I filled out Vacation Hero cards for four crew members because they were so amazing. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a more hardworking bunch of people. Our room steward was also very nice and helpful.

 

Room: In the past, we have always booked an inside or oceanview room. This year, we decided to spring for a balcony, which I was super excited about. Initially, since we booked the cruise a bit late, there were only guarantee balconies available. We were placed in a hull balcony, which basically means the balcony is partially enclosed. It's hard to explain, but there are plenty of threads on here about these rooms. I was disappointed because I wanted a true balcony. I kept checking NCL, and when I saw a regular balcony become available, I called NCL to switch. I had to pay a little because it was a category above ours, but it was worth it. We loved having the balcony, and we definitely enjoyed the extra space in the room. We were in 10212, which is all the way in the front of the ship. The room was quiet and spacious. We always bring an over-the-door shoe organizer, and between that and the storage in the room, it was perfect for us. We loved sitting on the balcony enjoying a drink while reading a book, and it was so nice to sit in the room with the balcony open. It's true what they say - once you go balcony, you can't go back!

 

Entertainment: Some of the entertainment was the same as last year, such as the Welcome Aboard show, Haines Magic, Elements, and the American Idol-style show that they have. New this year was Soul Rockin' Nights, different aerialists, and comic Alvin Williams. Alvin was our favorite - he was hilarious. He did a small set during the Welcome Aboard show, a family-friendly show, and a late-night adult show. We also loved the aerialists and Elements. The American Idol-style show was meh, and I don't love the theatrics of Haines Magic. We also caught the Newlywed, Not-So-Newlywed game show, which was hilarious, and the Battle of the Sexes, which was OK. However, the real disappointment was the music in Gatsby's, one of the bars. The piano player, whose name escapes me, had a backing track while he played. It was awful. Imagine Piano Man, of all things, played on the piano but with a dance beat that sounds like it's from a 1988 Casio keyboard. It was so bad, I was actually angry. Otherwise, we also enjoyed some activities with the cruise staff such as the bean bag toss and cup pong.

 

Excursions: We typically book most of our excursions through NCL because of the $50 credit and the fear of missing the boat. This year in Cozumel, we took an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. The ruins were amazing, albeit crowded, but the journey to get there was . . . adventurous to say the least. Cozumel is an island, so to get to the mainland of Mexico, you need to take a boat. I had read about the bumpy nature of the boat on these boards, so I came prepared with Dramamine, Sea Bands, and some kind of oil for behind my ears. I don't get seasick on the cruise ship, but smaller boats usually do it for me. Well, one or all of those things worked because I ended up being fine. It was pretty rocky on the way there, but it was nothing compared to the way back. About 2 minutes into our ride back, a huge wave hit the side of the boat and came into the windows, soaking our half of the boat. Everyone scrambled to tie down the window coverings, and we were eventually able to sit back down. However, that ride back was seriously like a roller coaster. We were flying all over the place.

 

In Roatan, we booked the South Shore ziplining. I was terrified, but my husband really wanted to do it. I'm glad we did. It was amazing - you go on about 10 zips up above the jungle. The staff there are great, and they give you the option to go once upside down with them. My husband did it (and we have the picture to prove it!), but I decided to play it safe.

 

In Costa Maya, we decided to do a beach day on our own. Maya Chan was all booked up, so I made reservations at Tropicante. It was OK. The ratings on TripAdvisor are crazy good, but we found it to be a bit overrated. It was very crowded, and even though it wasn't their fault, there were mountains of seaweed. We enjoyed last year's trip to Nachi Cocom in Cozumel more. Paying for the food and drinks instead of doing an all-inclusive was more cost-efficient, but the constant flow of vendors didn't help.

 

In Harvest Caye, we had booked parasailing, which we did last year and loved. However, when we went to check in, we were told it was canceled due to high winds. Bummer. We then spent a couple of hours on the beautiful beach. My husband then decided he wanted to do the zipline there because it was a Superman one. He loved it.

 

Casino: Last year, my husband won the $1000 bonus while playing blackjack. This year, we were not so lucky, which was fine. However, we were disappointed that there was only one $6 blackjack table open at a time. Often that table would be full with a bunch of people crowded around waiting to play while the $10 table next to it was empty. It would have been nice (and seemingly profitable for NCL) if they could have opened up another $6 table.

 

Meet and Greet: I was a bit worried because the roll call for this cruise started off very quiet. There was almost no one on it. However, it picked up steam, and MaineYachtClub was kind enough to take over organizing the meet and greet and cabin crawl. I organized the poker run, and Alan C organized the slot pull. All of these activities were a blast, and everyone was so nice. Even though we didn't win any money at our slot pull, we had a great time.

 

Disembarkation: Oh dear. The night before we got back to Tampa, there was an announcement that all non-US citizens should go to the Aqua restaurant at 7:00 am. Apparently, some people didn't show up, and there were numerous announcements that morning looking for them. We got in fairly early, but we couldn't get off the ship until these people were found so we could clear customs. It took a couple of hours, by which point people were lining up to get off the ship. The line wrapped all the way around the boat. The worst part was that there were no crew members helping. I understand it wasn't NCL's fault, but they definitely needed people out directing us where to go and keeping us apprised of what was going on. At one point, they opened up another exit, but that just meant that people who were not yet in line hopped on that line and got off ahead of us. It took a couple of hours to get off the ship. I was originally thinking about booking a 12:15 flight home, but luckily, I decided to play it safe and book a 2:45 flight. Thank goodness, because we didn't get off the ship until at least 11:15, and when we walked into the Tampa airport, I saw that the 12:15 flight had just left. Phew. Overall, I was so happy that I booked the later flight, I wasn't really angry at the moment. However, several people in line near us had booked 11:00 and 12:00 flights, which they obviously missed, so I felt bad for them. Once we got off the ship and back into the terminal, everything moved quickly.

 

I think that's it! We really had a wonderful time, and we were blessed with beautiful weather once again. We are already booked on the Gem out of NY next February, so at least we have that to look forward to! I hope this review was helpful, and please feel free to ask questions.

[BirdTravels]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write an extensive review! We also loved Los Lobos and are excited that it will be on the Bliss on our upcoming Alaska cruise.

[LD Silver]

I was on this sailing and enjoyed your review. My girlfriend and I sat next to you guys at Los Lobos on Friday night. We enjoyed talking with you.

 

I believe the performer you were referring to in Gatsby's was Allen. He was terrible.

 

I'm still writing my review and hope to have it posted in a day or two.

[dos equis]

Thanks for your review. How was Soul Rockin Nights?

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Clarea]

Excellent, detailed review, thanks!

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your report and happy that you enjoyed the cruise.

 

Keith

[jscott792]

Hi everyone! Well, now that there is a huge nor'easter going on in NJ, I thought it would be a great time to write a review of our cruise and reminisce about the beautiful, tropical weather we had there. Sigh.

 

 

 

I am a teacher, and I have off for a week in February each year. This was our 4th cruise overall and our 3rd February cruise. We previously cruised on the Star to Bermuda in August 2012, the Gem in February 2016, and the Dawn in February 2017. We were originally booked on the Epic, but I had some reservations about it due to the layout of the ship and the embarkation issues I read about on here. Therefore. we switched to the Dawn even though it was the same itinerary as last year. We figured we had such a blast last year, we figured we would sail her again!

 

 

 

Hotel: While last year we cruised out of New Orleans, this year it was Tampa. The day before the cruise, we drove to Philadelphia Airport and left my car there for the week. We took a direct flight to Tampa and were picked up by the Holiday Inn Westshore shuttle. We had booked a cruise package through them that included the room, breakfast, transportation to and from the airport, and transportation to the cruise port. The transportation and room were fine, but the restaurant was disorganized.

 

 

 

Embarkation: While waiting in the hotel lobby for the shuttle to the cruise port, we made friends with bweeble, who turned out to be the nicest people! We got to the port, and embarkation was a breeze. We were on the ship very quickly, enjoying our first drinks up on the pool deck.

 

 

 

Beverages: We had the UBP and $50 shore excursion credits. We certainly made the most of the beverage package. While we're not big drinkers for 11 months out of the year, we make up for it on our February cruises! All around the ship, the bartenders were fantastic, but the best ones were at O'Sheehans. Leo and Mas remembered who we were (OK, so we were there a lot . . . ) and greeted us by name. They were awesome. Overall, we love the UBP because we don't have to worry about how much money we're spending throughout the week. We can just relax and have fun.

 

 

 

Food: We are not big foodies, so we don't do the UDP. However, we discovered Los Lobos last year and LOVED it, especially the tableside guacamole. We ate there twice this year and went one additional time to enjoy tequila shots and the guacamole. Every time, everything was delicious. Otherwise, we enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner. The dinner selections were not appetizing at all. My husband also loves the hamburgers and hot dogs setup by the pool, so we ate lunch out there many days. We love hibachi, so we booked Teppanyaki for the first time. The food and show were good, but I don't think I would do it again since we could go to the hibachi place where we live. We also had two wonderful dinners in the Venetian with out fabulous waiters Petu and Akash. We also ate there for lunch one day. Finally, we had one dinner in O'Sheehans, which was fine.

 

 

 

Crew: Everyone we encountered was super friendly and helpful. At the end of the cruise, I filled out Vacation Hero cards for four crew members because they were so amazing. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a more hardworking bunch of people. Our room steward was also very nice and helpful.

 

 

 

Room: In the past, we have always booked an inside or oceanview room. This year, we decided to spring for a balcony, which I was super excited about. Initially, since we booked the cruise a bit late, there were only guarantee balconies available. We were placed in a hull balcony, which basically means the balcony is partially enclosed. It's hard to explain, but there are plenty of threads on here about these rooms. I was disappointed because I wanted a true balcony. I kept checking NCL, and when I saw a regular balcony become available, I called NCL to switch. I had to pay a little because it was a category above ours, but it was worth it. We loved having the balcony, and we definitely enjoyed the extra space in the room. We were in 10212, which is all the way in the front of the ship. The room was quiet and spacious. We always bring an over-the-door shoe organizer, and between that and the storage in the room, it was perfect for us. We loved sitting on the balcony enjoying a drink while reading a book, and it was so nice to sit in the room with the balcony open. It's true what they say - once you go balcony, you can't go back!

 

 

 

Entertainment: Some of the entertainment was the same as last year, such as the Welcome Aboard show, Haines Magic, Elements, and the American Idol-style show that they have. New this year was Soul Rockin' Nights, different aerialists, and comic Alvin Williams. Alvin was our favorite - he was hilarious. He did a small set during the Welcome Aboard show, a family-friendly show, and a late-night adult show. We also loved the aerialists and Elements. The American Idol-style show was meh, and I don't love the theatrics of Haines Magic. We also caught the Newlywed, Not-So-Newlywed game show, which was hilarious, and the Battle of the Sexes, which was OK. However, the real disappointment was the music in Gatsby's, one of the bars. The piano player, whose name escapes me, had a backing track while he played. It was awful. Imagine Piano Man, of all things, played on the piano but with a dance beat that sounds like it's from a 1988 Casio keyboard. It was so bad, I was actually angry. Otherwise, we also enjoyed some activities with the cruise staff such as the bean bag toss and cup pong.

 

 

 

Excursions: We typically book most of our excursions through NCL because of the $50 credit and the fear of missing the boat. This year in Cozumel, we took an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. The ruins were amazing, albeit crowded, but the journey to get there was . . . adventurous to say the least. Cozumel is an island, so to get to the mainland of Mexico, you need to take a boat. I had read about the bumpy nature of the boat on these boards, so I came prepared with Dramamine, Sea Bands, and some kind of oil for behind my ears. I don't get seasick on the cruise ship, but smaller boats usually do it for me. Well, one or all of those things worked because I ended up being fine. It was pretty rocky on the way there, but it was nothing compared to the way back. About 2 minutes into our ride back, a huge wave hit the side of the boat and came into the windows, soaking our half of the boat. Everyone scrambled to tie down the window coverings, and we were eventually able to sit back down. However, that ride back was seriously like a roller coaster. We were flying all over the place.

 

 

 

In Roatan, we booked the South Shore ziplining. I was terrified, but my husband really wanted to do it. I'm glad we did. It was amazing - you go on about 10 zips up above the jungle. The staff there are great, and they give you the option to go once upside down with them. My husband did it (and we have the picture to prove it!), but I decided to play it safe.

 

 

 

In Costa Maya, we decided to do a beach day on our own. Maya Chan was all booked up, so I made reservations at Tropicante. It was OK. The ratings on TripAdvisor are crazy good, but we found it to be a bit overrated. It was very crowded, and even though it wasn't their fault, there were mountains of seaweed. We enjoyed last year's trip to Nachi Cocom in Cozumel more. Paying for the food and drinks instead of doing an all-inclusive was more cost-efficient, but the constant flow of vendors didn't help.

 

 

 

In Harvest Caye, we had booked parasailing, which we did last year and loved. However, when we went to check in, we were told it was canceled due to high winds. Bummer. We then spent a couple of hours on the beautiful beach. My husband then decided he wanted to do the zipline there because it was a Superman one. He loved it.

 

 

 

Casino: Last year, my husband won the $1000 bonus while playing blackjack. This year, we were not so lucky, which was fine. However, we were disappointed that there was only one $6 blackjack table open at a time. Often that table would be full with a bunch of people crowded around waiting to play while the $10 table next to it was empty. It would have been nice (and seemingly profitable for NCL) if they could have opened up another $6 table.

 

 

 

Meet and Greet: I was a bit worried because the roll call for this cruise started off very quiet. There was almost no one on it. However, it picked up steam, and MaineYachtClub was kind enough to take over organizing the meet and greet and cabin crawl. I organized the poker run, and Alan C organized the slot pull. All of these activities were a blast, and everyone was so nice. Even though we didn't win any money at our slot pull, we had a great time.

 

 

 

Disembarkation: Oh dear. The night before we got back to Tampa, there was an announcement that all non-US citizens should go to the Aqua restaurant at 7:00 am. Apparently, some people didn't show up, and there were numerous announcements that morning looking for them. We got in fairly early, but we couldn't get off the ship until these people were found so we could clear customs. It took a couple of hours, by which point people were lining up to get off the ship. The line wrapped all the way around the boat. The worst part was that there were no crew members helping. I understand it wasn't NCL's fault, but they definitely needed people out directing us where to go and keeping us apprised of what was going on. At one point, they opened up another exit, but that just meant that people who were not yet in line hopped on that line and got off ahead of us. It took a couple of hours to get off the ship. I was originally thinking about booking a 12:15 flight home, but luckily, I decided to play it safe and book a 2:45 flight. Thank goodness, because we didn't get off the ship until at least 11:15, and when we walked into the Tampa airport, I saw that the 12:15 flight had just left. Phew. Overall, I was so happy that I booked the later flight, I wasn't really angry at the moment. However, several people in line near us had booked 11:00 and 12:00 flights, which they obviously missed, so I felt bad for them. Once we got off the ship and back into the terminal, everything moved quickly.

 

 

 

I think that's it! We really had a wonderful time, and we were blessed with beautiful weather once again. We are already booked on the Gem out of NY next February, so at least we have that to look forward to! I hope this review was helpful, and please feel free to ask questions.

 

 

 

Great review! We are heading out on the same ship/itinerary very soon! We have a hull balcony booked and I’ve considered switching it, but mainly because it’s at the very front of the ship and I worry about motion sickness. The idea of the hull balcony itself is ok with me because I don’t mind a little privacy.

I hope they get the kinks worked out of the disembarkation in Tampa before we go. I’ve heard from more than one that the embarkation and disembarkation can be messy in Tampa...the fact that your embarkation was a breeze gives me hope! 29 Days....

 

 

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

[thedriver23]

great review - very informative

 

Cant wait to go now!

[newmexicoNita]

Shera,

 

Thanks for the review. We are sailing the Dawn in just 2 months and are excited. I do wish we were going out of someplace other than Boston, but it would be pretty hard to sail out of NOLA to Bermuda I think. I know what you mean about going back after having a balcony. Hubby used to fight me on this all the time. He always said, we didn't need to spend all that extra money. Well, after he experienced a balcony he quickly changed his mind. Our last cruise, we decided to flip back to just a standard outside: guess what? This next cruise is balcony again. He about went nuts without his balcony. :cool:

I am disappointed to hear about the piano player at the bar. This has been our favorite entertainment in recent years. We generally only go to one show, but spend a few hours each night enjoying the piano bar and having a few drinks. Maybe the Atrium will have someone good or there will be someone, somewhere else on the ship. Otherwise we will just have to blow some money in the casino for our nightly entertainment.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Thank you for your review. Friends of ours are on this cruise as we speak.

[cbtravel1]

Great review!

[jdvmd]

Thanks for sharing!