Live Review NCL Dawn British Isles One Way to Amsterdam 6/3/2022-6/12/2022. Lots of Pictures!

[BennyBrun]

Pre Cruise…

 

Being the nosey person that I am … I have heard that from the UK you don’t have to pay the gratuity on the free at seas offerings when the cruise is booked from the UK… BUT looking at the UK website… you have to pay to upgrade to free at sea … so it comes out about the same as the US Free at Seas except you can’t decline just the drink package and pay less to upgrade  … remember that about $1.26 USD is 1 pound sterling.  Marketing techniques to get around the advertising requirements.

[BennyBrun]

Pre Cruise…

 

I have gotten this email 4 times … asking you to watch the same safety video on you tube from like 10 years ago…the TV in the stateroom is not a flat tv 😂   

[BennyBrun]

Pre Cruise

 

If you are staying at Hilton Garden Inn LHR Terminal 2 don’t miss the rooftop bar… fantastic views!  Great wine selection!

[BennyBrun]

Pre Cruise

 

Its official … the trifle should be made with jam and not jello… M&S said so and I am a fan of Mark & Spencer 

[FionaMG]

3 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Pre Cruise

 

Its official … the trifle should be made with jam and not jello… M&S said so and I am a fan of Mark & Spencer 

I disagree with M&S. If I were making it, I'd use jello (although I'd call it jelly). But then, if I were making it, I'd have to call it Scottish trifle rather than English trifle, since I come from north of the border. 😂

[insidecabin]

2 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Pre Cruise…

 

Being the nosey person that I am … I have heard that from the UK you don’t have to pay the gratuity on the free at seas offerings when the cruise is booked from the UK… BUT looking at the UK website… you have to pay to upgrade to free at sea … so it comes out about the same as the US Free at Seas except you can’t decline just the drink package and pay less to upgrade  … remember that about $1.26 USD is 1 pound sterling.  Marketing techniques to get around the advertising requirements.

The UK free at sea  prices went up a couple of weeks ago its based on cruise length.

 

Free means free so UK prices have to include taxes etc and free at sea has to be set price can't add extra later in the process

 

We check UK, US and EU prices and book the best total.

 

The £250 flight credit made UK prices very dood as a flight back to uk from Amsterdam is a lot less.

[snorklinbarb]

Loving your live review especially all the photos of the Jubilee.  Glad the Queen could enjoy the parade but just heard on the news she will miss St. Paul's Cathedral.  

 

Hope there's no covid surge after all those people!!

 

Dawn is our sentimental favorite as she came to NYC to homeport in 2003 for year round cruising.  They thought NCL was nuts doing cruises in the winter.  Fast forward to years of success!

 

Take a look at the t & c of the specialty dining package.  It's a myth that there's a limit, except about the entree.  Was just on Escape and waiters told guests (rightly so) that we could have unlimited apps, soup, salads, desserts but pls choose 1 entree.  They are constantly training and retraining but some waiters still have in their minds wrong info.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your dining experiences.  I found the MDR food as well as O'Sheehan's to be tasty and hot.  The Blue Plate specials at the pub - such as country fried steak - grilled Alaskan salmon - prime rib embarkation night - are excellent.

 

For Garden Cafe I really only go for the Indian food but the "Oriental Buffet" night had Peking duck, Korean broth w/little neck clams, sushi along with many other items including the special Filipino "ensaimada" pastries.  Was pleasantly surprised!

 

Enjoy every minute.  Enjoyed Los Lobos as it's only on a couple NCL ships.  When they refurbished the Dawn, they got lucky with that one.  The Mexican "street" corn is a great accompaniment.  

 

Also looking forward to the port reports!  Have a great cruise!

 

Was the Hilton Garden Inn at LHR very pricey?

[BennyBrun]

56 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

I disagree with M&S. If I were making it, I'd use jello (although I'd call it jelly). But then, if I were making it, I'd have to call it Scottish trifle rather than English trifle, since I come from north of the border. 😂

Ahahahhahahahahahaha… I have to tell you that I will never look at a trifle the same way again… I will continue my spot check around the British Isles 😂 

[BennyBrun]

41 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

The UK free at sea  prices went up a couple of weeks ago its based on cruise length.

 

Free means free so UK prices have to include taxes etc and free at sea has to be set price can't add extra later in the process

 

We check UK, US and EU prices and book the best total.

 

The £250 flight credit made UK prices very dood as a flight back to uk from Amsterdam is a lot less.

Marketing techniques… we just have to play around with it to find the best deal !!  I really appreciate your input on this because it gives it a different perspective!!

[BennyBrun]

18 minutes ago, snorklinbarb said:

Loving your live review especially all the photos of the Jubilee.  Glad the Queen could enjoy the parade but just heard on the news she will miss St. Paul's Cathedral.  

 

Hope there's no covid surge after all those people!!

 

Dawn is our sentimental favorite as she came to NYC to homeport in 2003 for year round cruising.  They thought NCL was nuts doing cruises in the winter.  Fast forward to years of success!

 

Take a look at the t & c of the specialty dining package.  It's a myth that there's a limit, except about the entree.  Was just on Escape and waiters told guests (rightly so) that we could have unlimited apps, soup, salads, desserts but pls choose 1 entree.  They are constantly training and retraining but some waiters still have in their minds wrong info.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your dining experiences.  I found the MDR food as well as O'Sheehan's to be tasty and hot.  The Blue Plate specials at the pub - such as country fried steak - grilled Alaskan salmon - prime rib embarkation night - are excellent.

 

For Garden Cafe I really only go for the Indian food but the "Oriental Buffet" night had Peking duck, Korean broth w/little neck clams, sushi along with many other items including the special Filipino "ensaimada" pastries.  Was pleasantly surprised!

 

Enjoy every minute.  Enjoyed Los Lobos as it's only on a couple NCL ships.  When they refurbished the Dawn, they got lucky with that one.  The Mexican "street" corn is a great accompaniment.  

 

Also looking forward to the port reports!  Have a great cruise!

 

Was the Hilton Garden Inn at LHR very pricey?

Thank you so much for your input… I can’t wait get get on the Dawn.  Not to worry a full picture report will follow…

 

I had my mask on at all times because a little voice in my head kept screaming and will be screaming at me to remind me that I need a negative test to get back home!!!

 

If you book in advance it’s about $150 Pounds.  It is the highest in the Hilton brand family of hotels at the airport LHR.  The other Hilton Garden Inn is less expensive but you have to use shuttle or bus to get back and forth. In my case I booked a transfer to SouthHampton with NCL $75.00 so I have to come back to terminal 3 arrivals to meet the greeters and it’s just much easier to use the cart to push my luggage back using the walkway for me.  I don’t want to deal with getting the luggage onto a bus and then off the bus….

[Hogladyrider]

@BennyBrun.....wonderful pics and the architecture is amazing!  I am afraid though that there are just too many peeps for this ol gals liking!

 

There was a time in my life it was fun and exciting, as I've gotten older not so much a fan of crowds.

 

Enjoying all your PreCruise travels for sure!

[insidecabin]

8 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Thank you so much for your input… I can’t wait get get on the Dawn.  Not to worry a full picture report will follow…

 

I had my mask on at all times because a little voice in my head kept screaming and will be screaming at me to remind me that I need a negative test to get back home!!!

 

If you book in advance it’s about $150 Pounds.  It is the highest in the Hilton brand family of hotels at the airport LHR.  The other Hilton Garden Inn is less expensive but you have to use shuttle or bus to get back and forth. In my case I booked a transfer to SouthHampton with NCL $75.00 so I have to come back to terminal 3 arrivals to meet the greeters and it’s just much easier to use the cart to push my luggage back using the walkway for me.  I don’t want to deal with getting the luggage onto a bus and then off the bus….

 

£75 that's pricey for a transfer. ( 2 people that's about the same as a car service)

 

The other main option from LHR is National express starts at around £13 to Southampton from LHR.

(prices do look a lot higher this year seeing some over £20)

Does require a walk or taxi at Southampton.

 

No sensible train option

 

 

[BennyBrun]

9 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@BennyBrun.....wonderful pics and the architecture is amazing!  I am afraid though that there are just too many peeps for this ol gals liking!

 

There was a time in my life it was fun and exciting, as I've gotten older not so much a fan of crowds.

 

Enjoying all your PreCruise travels for sure!

Thank you so much!  I am so glad you like the pictures of this virtual cruise so far…

 

I have to admit it was a lot of people even for me but I don’t think it’s the norm though…

[BennyBrun]

27 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

 

£75 that's pricey for a transfer. ( 2 people that's about the same as a car service)

 

The other main option from LHR is National express starts at around £13 to Southampton from LHR.

(prices do look a lot higher this year seeing some over £20)

Does require a walk or taxi at Southampton.

 

No sensible train option

 

 

I have looked at all the options too…. NCL charges $75.00 but that’s USD.  I looked at private transfers and it’s about £189 to £200 for a basic car.  National Express is about €50 after after you select a seat and add a luggage and then you have to take a cab to the port so I figure it’s less hassle to pay NCL a little more for cruise day.  If I had an extra extra day then I would use National Express to head down to SouthHampton.

[insidecabin]

Major bugbear people calling, Southampton SouthHampton or South Hampton they do not exist in the UK.

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day…

 

Breakfast at the inn…I particularly enjoyed the coco pops … I am used to Corn Pops 😂 

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day

 

This is where you meet the NCL greeters for prearranged transport to the cruise port!  Terminal 3 arrivals … you will see them as you exit custom.  Boots is there for last minute drugstore needs and M&S Food hall is there for quick snack purchase for the bus ride 😂 

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day

 

They have slots machines at the airport 18+ to play but first you have to figure out how to play…. There are way too many buttons to push and wait for the music to tell you how much you lost 😂 

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day

 

So they picked up at terminal 3 first and then terminal 2 then terminal 5… around 10:20 we got on the bus and 10:45 we were at terminal 5.  The actual ride is about 90 minutes!

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day

 

It took about 2 hours to get from LHR to SouthHampton as we encountered a traffic accident and lots of congestion.  When they pick you up you drop off the checked luggage and they will bring it to the ship for you.  You just have to worry about your carry on.   Make sure that everything is tagged because you won’t see the checked luggage again until you get to your room.  Excellent service!

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day
 

Port Terminal - check in was easy and painless every efficient!

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day
 

It took about 10 minutes from the terminal to the room.

Inside Cabin… not a lot of room to move around but enough space to store everything for me.  I can’t even imagine sleeping 4 people in this room.  The plus side is that there is no nightlight in the bathroom so it is like a cave perfect for sleeping.

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day
 

Atrium Area

[insidecabin]

The run down the M3 regularly has issues especially as you get past Winchester  just back up for no apparent reason.

 

There are other routes but we have started traveling day before to avoid the early start to be at the terminal by 11am,  we live around 2hr on a good day but would leave before 8am to make sure.

 

[BennyBrun]

Embarkation Day
 

Lunch at O’Sheehan’s