Semi-Live, Dawn - Canada & New England 5/11/2019, our old favorite

[mking8288]

@Arzeena -  Gooood morning.  Are you packed & ready to go, not soon enough ... first on NCL & then MSC.  Wish you bon voyage in advance. 

 

P+ is still 1 voucher for two to dine twice, once for Cagney/LB with a bottle of wine; and once for LC or Moderno - with the 1-1-1 rule, entrees up to $25.  Supposed to get charge for an extra "starter" - lowest priced one added to the final bill (#cough #cough sometimes, they forget ... especially when too busy & just "let it go")   Just tell RJ, Henry said he shouldn't mind paying for the extra dining while on vacation.  BTW, we split up our BIL/SIL into 2 cabins and that's how we got 2 sets of "free" dining vouchers.  

 

Oh, wait - don't forget your "Dine with the officers" & book it too ... "first world problem"  A solution we came up with is to book our dining early, for 5:30 whenever possible - try to catch those shows and then if hungry again - do a late walk-up.  With the Escape or Plus class ships, one of the MDR is open till 10 pm - you should have enough time in 7 days to sample more menu items.  

 

*** For those "discovering this thread" at a later date - here is a link to seadog's "Live" Dawn post this week, to read/follow/see those wonderful pictures ... to speed up uploads, I compressed ours to fit for faster/easier u/l on the sometimes funky satellite WiFi.  🤓  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2663989-live-from-new-york-its-the-dawn-to-ne-canada-5-18-19/

 

[Arzeena]

50 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

@Arzeena -  Gooood morning.  Are you packed & ready to go, not soon enough ... first on NCL & then MSC.  Wish you bon voyage in advance. 

 

P+ is still 1 voucher for two to dine twice, once for Cagney/LB with a bottle of wine; and once for LC or Moderno - with the 1-1-1 rule, entrees up to $25.  Supposed to get charge for an extra "starter" - lowest priced one added to the final bill (#cough #cough sometimes, they forget ... especially when too busy & just "let it go")   Just tell RJ, Henry said he shouldn't mind paying for the extra dining while on vacation.  BTW, we split up our BIL/SIL into 2 cabins and that's how we got 2 sets of "free" dining vouchers.  

 

Oh, wait - don't forget your "Dine with the officers" & book it too ... "first world problem"  A solution we came up with is to book our dining early, for 5:30 whenever possible - try to catch those shows and then if hungry again - do a late walk-up.  With the Escape or Plus class ships, one of the MDR is open till 10 pm - you should have enough time in 7 days to sample more menu items.  

 

*** For those "discovering this thread" at a later date - here is a link to seadog's "Live" Dawn post this week, to read/follow/see those wonderful pictures ... to speed up uploads, I compressed ours to fit for faster/easier u/l on the sometimes funky satellite WiFi.  🤓  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2663989-live-from-new-york-its-the-dawn-to-ne-canada-5-18-19/

 

Not even close to packed or sorted. Have become a last minute packer in the past couple of years.

Get it about the vouchers. Yes, am aware of the 1-1-1 rule/$25 entree which is fine with us. I have the dining pkg selected as one perk. Asked rep how much it takes to upgrade to balcony. Was quoted $10 more than my min bid. Took it and cancelled the bid. Gained an extra perk (picked wifi which is useless, but the drink pkg is a waste for us and shorex ..been there done that year after year so need no shorex) and $50 extra insider promo OBC. Got cabin of choice, which is way far aft.. ...very much needed after all the dining pkgs and vouchers!

Following the other thread too. I get B2B reviews! How great is that !

[bluesea777]

3 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Thank you so much for enlightening us with the tips and tricks.

 

I forgot already......for Platinum Plus, how many dining vouchers does one get? I was saying 1 voucher for a (dinner for two people) per P+ memeber, RJ says it is 2 vouchers (for a dinner for two people) per P+, so it 2 +2 =4  meals for P+? I don't have enough days to eat 4 specialties plus 3 from my dining perk I picked.!!!! LOL!

 

You get one voucher for a dinner for 2 in either LeBistro or Cagney's with a bottle of wine, AND a voucher for a dinner for 2 in either Moderno (or Los Lobos) or La Cucina. PER CABIN, no matter if your cabin-mate is also a Plat+.

 

Meaning you get 2 different dinner and your cabin-mate also gets 2 dinners. 

 

[Buckeye10640]

Sailing on this cruise in June and have another booked on the Dawn for 2020.  Can you help this technically-challenged cruiser figure out what I need to order on Amazon to handle the 220v to 120v conversion? We already  have a power strip (w/o surge protector) and long extention cord we always take for husbands cpap.  Thanks for all of the time you took to do this review, I have made note of many of the details. 

[Arzeena]

On 5/23/2019 at 1:21 PM, bluesea777 said:

 

You get one voucher for a dinner for 2 in either LeBistro or Cagney's with a bottle of wine, AND a voucher for a dinner for 2 in either Moderno (or Los Lobos) or La Cucina. PER CABIN, no matter if your cabin-mate is also a Plat+.

 

Meaning you get 2 different dinner and your cabin-mate also gets 2 dinners. 

 

Thanks. I find it hard to fit in 3 meals from the SDP and 2 from P+ into a 7 day trip. And I would not miss Harbor Nights on Wed so not eating on the ship....the lobster curry at O'Flannigan's is waiting for me!😝absolutely delish.

I hope MKing will forgive me for asking this slightly out of the context question on his thread:

How do I get to Glass Beach if I am walking there from the dockyard. I get lost every time, directions in hand, mind you😕, and land up at some cove which I know is not glass beach. Appreciate it.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Arzeena

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Sailing on this cruise ... what I need to order on Amazon to handle the 220v to 120v conversion? We already have a power strip (w/o surge protector) and long extention cord we always take for husbands cpap ... 

 

Sure, gotta love Amazon for speed & reliability, waiting for another package from them this morning myself although I go to eBay just as often.  Here, I checked, this is the basic 110v & 220v simple adapter, that work on almost all cruise ships with the Euro outlet.  This is the best price - you should find them stocked in your local Dollar Store as well, get an extra one or two & keep it in your cruise luggage.  

Click here for the simple, Basic Adapter - 

*** shipping/delivery time seemed to be a bit slower

 

For universal 220v Euro AND UK plugs (unique one with 2 flat blades + 1 vs. just 2 round pins) - this one should do, and it also has USB charging port.  It is slim enough, I think, to fit the slightly recessed 220v wall outlet on the Dawn, right next to the 110v (single) outlet (where in the old days, a coffee maker was provided.)  Comes in different colors, 2 of them are just $14, free shipping if ... 

Click here for the Travel Adapter -

This is probably needed for the Spirit, Star as well as the Dawn only ... Breakaway has two 110v and two 220v Euro outlets, Escape has three 110v and one 220v Euro outlet.  For the Dawn, the 220v Euro outlet is under the mini-refrigerator.  

 

USB extension cord: optionally - for others or you - who might wish to keep their iPad/iPhone/tablet or smartphone bedside at night while charging it - I recommend a 10' USB 2.0 extension cable (rolled up/loop extra un-needed section if too long) to use with the shorter OEM cable (usually 3' long) - should safely route along the long wall to the mini nightstand.  Click for the "USB Extension"

 

Enjoy your Dawn cruises ahead, this "old" ship we first sailed in 2003 feel like new again, minus that new "car" (ship) smell but unless you really look closely for signs of wear & tear, it is good & easy to get around - if a nice deal come along again, DW and I would book it in 2 heart beats, pack & go ... and be conveniently at the pier in less than 45 minutes. 

Edited May 25, 2019 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Little details that I noted but forgot to mention - using stateroom's interactive TV system on the Dawn.

It is like other HDTV in use for the fleet, brand is a Samsung, a bit smaller than the ones on the BA/Plus class ships ("Sole" hospitality branding) ... access your Onboard account to review charges, daily summaries, etc.  TV channel layout is a little different, but just as limited - Ch. 2 is the Navigation Channel and Ch. 3 is the live, forward Ship Cam feed.  

 

Input signal seemed to come from either a USB or RJ-45 (ethernet signal) - we're too busy to play with HDMI input, casting or streaming options on this cruise ... barely took out the travel notebook PC to use, except to transfer photos for backup & to download/read a batch of emails offline.  

 

We're able to use our IR remote functions on 2 of our smartphones with built-in IR blaster (that's a Xiaomi dual-sim, now that our Huawei Honor dual-sim is being handicapped)  

 

With sluggish satellite WiFi coverage (and, there are far fewer WiFi hotspot or booster/repeaters high on the walls along the corridors & hallways, public area, etc. - a little less than the *Away/+ class ships with both 2.4 and 5 Ghz solid signals ... I wouldn't bother paying for the premium unlimited option.  Maybe, @seadog67 has a different impression from this week.  

 

P.S.  AZ ... blanket "pardon" unconditionally granted herein, just for you, no problem at all.  It's all good.  Besides, if only CC re-establish that "PM" messaging among us.  

 

[bluesea777]

4 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Sailing on this cruise in June and have another booked on the Dawn for 2020.  Can you help this technically-challenged cruiser figure out what I need to order on Amazon to handle the 220v to 120v conversion? We already  have a power strip (w/o surge protector) and long extention cord we always take for husbands cpap.  Thanks for all of the time you took to do this review, I have made note of many of the details. 

 

3 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

Sure, gotta love Amazon for speed & reliability, waiting for another package from them this morning myself although I go to eBay just as often.  Here, I checked, this is the basic 110v & 220v simple adapter, that work on almost all cruise ships with the Euro outlet.  This is the best price - you should find them stocked in your local Dollar Store as well, get an extra one or two & keep it in your cruise luggage.  

Click here for the simple, Basic Adapter - 

*** shipping/delivery time seemed to be a bit slower

 

For universal 220v Euro AND UK plugs (unique one with 2 flat blades + 1 vs. just 2 round pins) - this one should do, and it also has USB charging port.  It is slim enough, I think, to fit the slightly recessed 220v wall outlet on the Dawn, right next to the 110v (single) outlet (where in the old days, a coffee maker was provided.)  Comes in different colors, 2 of them are just $14, free shipping if ... 

Click here for the Travel Adapter -

This is probably needed for the Spirit, Star as well as the Dawn only ... Breakaway has two 110v and two 220v Euro outlets, Escape has three 110v and one 220v Euro outlet.  For the Dawn, the 220v Euro outlet is under the mini-refrigerator.  

 

USB extension cord: optionally - for others or you - who might wish to keep their iPad/iPhone/tablet or smartphone bedside at night while charging it - I recommend a 10' USB 2.0 extension cable (rolled up/loop extra un-needed section if too long) to use with the shorter OEM cable (usually 3' long) - should safely route along the long wall to the mini nightstand.  Click for the "USB Extension"

 

Enjoy your Dawn cruises ahead, this "old" ship we first sailed in 2003 feel like new again, minus that new "car" (ship) smell but unless you really look closely for signs of wear & tear, it is good & easy to get around - if a nice deal come along again, DW and I would book it in 2 heart beats, pack & go ... and be conveniently at the pier in less than 45 minutes. 

 

Looks like Buckeye was asking about the 220v to 110v conversion not 110v to 220v.

 

Amazon do have plug adaptors in the other way: https://www.amazon.com/FolioGadgets-10-Pack-Europe-Travel-Adapter/dp/B06XQ96L5B/ref=pd_bxgy_23_img_2/131-6407738-7763742?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XQ96L5B&pd_rd_r=389553e4-7f12-11e9-aff7-7b8b27abc5ce&pd_rd_w=7UmlC&pd_rd_wg=Y9tYm&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=TJRPYR4N85VFZA5THRMA&psc=1&refRID=TJRPYR4N85VFZA5THRMA

 

Not sure where Buckeye is from but the Amazon UK do have the UK to US plugs: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=plug+adaptors+uk+to+usa&crid=2LDOM1HPRJC3Z&sprefix=plug+adaptors%2Caps%2C236&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_13

 

NOTE: please check that your appliances & AC chargers have Input of 100-240v. If they do, just pick the correct plug adaptor and use. No power convertor needed. 

 

I use CPAP so I have dropped several plug adaptors in the CPAP travel bag - UK, Europe, Australia, etc! Also a 15 ft extension cord.

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by bluesea777

[jaja]

Was on cruise after yours..

 

QUESTION...did anyone buy the silver bracelet with  ship theme charms they had on "special" ??? I can't figure out how to open the clasp and don't want to force it !!!!!!  😧

[ESCARGO]

On 5/25/2019 at 9:04 AM, Arzeena said:

 And I would not miss Harbor Nights on Wed so not eating on the ship....the lobster curry at O'Flannigan's is waiting for me!😝absolutely delish. 

 

Hi Arzeena! Okay, I have to ask..... Where is Harbor Nights and this O'Flannigan's you speak of. Lobster Curry!!!! I need to know!

[mking8288]

@ESCARGO -  She will have to tell us about curried lobster ...   Habor Nights is a free music event right on downtown Hamilton's waterfront, about 100' next to the ferry terminal - only on Wednesday evening, if I remember ... about 8 or 8:30 pm, please check the Bermuda tourism website online as it should have the 2019 schedule.  

 

Don't know if NCL's free ferry will run to Hamilton as the regular local ferry has limited capacity with 5,000 pax at Dockyard, and another big ship like the Summit is usually there as well - transportation is a challenge, especially afterward in getting back - they do keep the ferry running.  The local bus (Route 7) is 2 blocks away but it will not have that much capacity.  In the old Norwegian Crown days, the ship is small enough to sail into & docked overnight right on the waterfront - and just head down the gangway, with the HarborFest just steps away, it was super convenient then.  Harbor channel is just too shallow these days for even the Dawn/Gem to get into, let alone the BA or Escape to even try ...

 

@Arzeena - prices for this Sunday seemed to continue to drop, it is very tempting, (true also for the Dawn, again) LOL ... but, my gang is leaving for Toronto next Wednesday ... got a good &  real 2 bedroom suite deal, on the hunt for real Asian food, including good seadfood & Canadian lobsters.  Enjoy your Bermuda "Escape" 

[mking8288]

Hmmm, speaking of food - I might've forgotten to upload these Dawn food pictures from O'Sheehan's, nothing special ... just plain comfort food, 2 (smallish) pieces of fish in the "chips".  Fine for a quick bite - no limits on ordering extras or doing a double.

 

Also, a comparative look on the fruit plate and salad w. shrimp, not too long ago & now ... no comments necessary.  

 

The last days satellite WiFi internet special - if someone "must" go online to do whatever, and cannot get a trusted friend, family or TA to do things - the 30 minutes special is better as 15 minutes might not be long enough or fast enough to be to get things done - $15.  

 

T-Mobile's cruise ship rates for onboard texting & calling, as a screenshot in the same posted.  Otherwise, cellular land tower's signals can be picked up as early as 15 to 30 minutes before the ship come to a full stop or dropped anchor - better, faster & usually a lot less.  

 

Edited May 27, 2019 by mking8288

[Arzeena]

21 hours ago, ESCARGO said:

Hi Arzeena! Okay, I have to ask..... Where is Harbor Nights and this O'Flannigan's you speak of. Lobster Curry!!!! I need to know!

Harbor Nights on Main St in Hamilton. Lobster curry served at O Flannigan's Pub on Main St in Hamilton, Bermuda. ...yes Lobster Curry sounds odd for a pub? ya, but believe me it is the best I have ever tasted.

Are you going there soon? How about 6/2 on the Escape?

[Arzeena]

4 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@ESCARGO -  She will have to tell us about curried lobster ...   Habor Nights is a free music event right on downtown Hamilton's waterfront, about 100' next to the ferry terminal - only on Wednesday evening, if I remember ... about 8 or 8:30 pm, please check the Bermuda tourism website online as it should have the 2019 schedule.  

 

Don't know if NCL's free ferry will run to Hamilton as the regular local ferry has limited capacity with 5,000 pax at Dockyard, and another big ship like the Summit is usually there as well - transportation is a challenge, especially afterward in getting back - they do keep the ferry running.  The local bus (Route 7) is 2 blocks away but it will not have that much capacity.  In the old Norwegian Crown days, the ship is small enough to sail into & docked overnight right on the waterfront - and just head down the gangway, with the HarborFest just steps away, it was super convenient then.  Harbor channel is just too shallow these days for even the Dawn/Gem to get into, let alone the BA or Escape to even try ...

 

@Arzeena - prices for this Sunday seemed to continue to drop, it is very tempting, (true also for the Dawn, again) LOL ... but, my gang is leaving for Toronto next Wednesday ... got a good &  real 2 bedroom suite deal, on the hunt for real Asian food, including good seadfood & Canadian lobsters.  Enjoy your Bermuda "Escape" 

Yes, I am amazed and there are still a LOT of balconies left.

Free ferry does to run to Hamilton. Can take ferry or bus (scenic route).

Veendam from HAL used to dock at Hamilton. Did that 2 years ago and nothing beats the convenience!
I remember the Dawn got "grounded" on a reef some years back in Bermuda.

That lobster curry in Bermuda is to die for...comes in  different spice levels.......mild, medium, spicy, Indian spicy or British spicy. I said bring on the British spicy......thinking it would be pretty wimpy......I was on fire! Had to order ice cubes (since they did not have yogurt) and put it in the curry to tame the spice. Still was burning for 2 days. For future I always stuck to medium or spicy.....do not underestimate British Spicy!!!!!

[Mountainview1]

23 hours ago, jaja said:

Was on cruise after yours..

 

QUESTION...did anyone buy the silver bracelet with  ship theme charms they had on "special" ??? I can't figure out how to open the clasp and don't want to force it !!!!!!  😧

 

Hi

I bought this charm bracelet on the Jade last week

There is a circular clasp with ridges

If you look at this clasp on one side there are 2 indented lines which run the length of the clasp if you put your nail between these ridges you can separate the 2 lines and the clasp will open

hope this helps🌝

[jaja]

28 minutes ago, Mountainview1 said:

 

Hi

I bought this charm bracelet on the Jade last week

There is a circular clasp with ridges

If you look at this clasp on one side there are 2 indented lines which run the length of the clasp if you put your nail between these ridges you can separate the 2 lines and the clasp will open

hope this helps🌝

 

 

Thanks !!!