Norwegian Dawn … is it OK?

[rmarcano]

I typically cruise Celebrity but see the Norwegian offers tremendous Scandinavian/Baltic itineraries. I don’t need fancy, just clean and good food. I hear so many mixed things about Norwegian, especially the Dawn, so I’d love your opinions. Thanks in advance. 

[PATRLR]

We're also looking at the Baltic itineraries.  I've been on Dawn when it was based in Boston doing Bermuda runs, we really enjoyed the ship.  

NCL is a mass market line, like Celebrity, Royal, Carnival, etc.  Good and bad, just as with all those lines.  

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

We've been on the Dawn a couple of times.  I like the size of that ship, as the newer ones, while having all the bells and whistles, are just bigger than I am looking for.  If you don't need go kart tracks, etc., you should find plenty to do....and hey, when you are taking that afternoon nap, it doesn't matter about the ship so much as the mattress!  (And I always sleep well on cruises.. 😉) 

I tend to do things like the spa, eat, casino, eat, trivia, eat, shows, eat....hey, I'm seeing a pattern here!  Not pool people.  We do like to read in the cabin, and like the speedier check-in and out, though, so we usually sail HAVEN (DH doesn't like crowds.)  And, we try to always take the stairs (helps to compensate for all that EATING!), so the smaller ship works!

We have sailed on the SUMMIT, so felt that our Retreat experience was similar to HAVEN (although award goes to HAVEN for us.)  Would certainly sail on X again.

 

I would think Dawn would be a good size for the Scandinavian/Baltic itinerary!  I'm jealous!  I hope you have a GREAT time!

[mafig]

Thanks for asking this.  I'm looking at a cruise on her and most of the feedback has been positive.

 

BTW Dawn does not have a Haven.

 

 

[KateQ22003]

The Dawn is my favorite NCL ship. I haven't sailed her since before Covid, but the service and staff on that ship is second to none. I love the size of her, and her atrium with the glass elevators is beautiful. While they don't have a haven, they do have some really nice family suites on deck 12 right near the pool. 

[MeHeartCruising]

I just sailed on the Dawn in September for a 10-day British Isles cruise.  It was a great cruise (other than coming home with Covid).  The ship has been updated over the years and was in very nice shape.  The crew was excellent in my experience.  All the venues were up and running.  Food is really, really subjective, but I enjoyed my meals in both the buffet and the specialty restaurants I chose.   I did find the theatre entertainment to be only average.  But it was something to do in the evenings.  If you like the itinerary, I'd definitely go for the Dawn. 

Edited October 14, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[hotrod610]

What is difference club balcony and regular balcony

[SplashOfWater]

We sailed on the Dawn in 2017 and 2018, and we will be sailing on her again next month. She doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer and larger ships. So, if water slides and race cars are at the top of your list, then she's not the ship for you. If you are more interested in the itinerary then the smaller ships like the Dawn are perfect. They can get into more ports than the large ships and they typically sail longer itineraries. The one thing we don't like about the Dawn is the lack of a forward-facing observation lounge. 

[DaisyGoldberg]

If you don't require a balcony and are on a scenic cruise, the SJ suites are terrific. Lots of room, gorgeous floor to ceiling windows - we did Boston to Canada back to back and the views were just STUNNING.  There are suites with balconies as well, but not the same views from inside the room, clearly.

 

The Murphy bed is quite comfortable as well if somebody needs it.  And the location is great - a short walk to elevators and everything front of ship, and a short walk across the pool area to midship.

 

On a cool weather itinerary I'd take an SJ on the Dawn any time. 

[vince_g]

10 minutes ago, SplashOfWater said:

We sailed on the Dawn in 2017 and 2018, and we will be sailing on her again next month. She doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer and larger ships. So, if water slides and race cars are at the top of your list, then she's not the ship for you. If you are more interested in the itinerary then the smaller ships like the Dawn are perfect. They can get into more ports than the large ships and they typically sail longer itineraries. The one thing we don't like about the Dawn is the lack of a forward-facing observation lounge. 

Agreed, and I also miss the Great Outdoors!!

[kochleffel]

1 hour ago, mafig said:

BTW Dawn does not have a Haven

 

From reading Cruise Critic, you could get the impression that everyone sails in the Haven (or whatever is similar on other cruise lines), which is obviously not true. I think that those who sail in suites might cruise more frequently than average, and certainly seem to post about it a lot. It's the same, BTW, on FlyerTalk, a frequent-flyer site. From the posts, one would think that most passengers fly in business or first.

[Viajera7]

I have been on the Dawn twice and the second time was in June doing the Baltic itinerary. When I travel by myself I usually travel on an interior or Ocean View but if I find a good offer, I book a balcony. I had an Ocean View and the views were good. I liked the food in the MDR, the specialty restaurants and the buffet. The entertainment was pretty good. They had  2 singers, a young woman and a young man that usually were on the Bliss and one of the nights they were in the theater doing a Michael Jackson tribute. Good performances. The only thing that I didn’t like was that because of the countries visited, sometimes they didn’t open the stores early because they needed to be at a certain distance to do so and one of the nights they couldn’t open at all.

[cruiserbear55]

11 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

The Dawn is my favorite NCL ship. I haven't sailed her since before Covid, but the service and staff on that ship is second to none. I love the size of her, and her atrium with the glass elevators is beautiful. While they don't have a haven, they do have some really nice family suites on deck 12 right near the pool. 

 Ditto! I was bummed when they moved the Dawn to NY and brought the Gem to Beantown. Not that the Gem and Pearl are bad ships. Outside of the Great Outdoors, neither ship has anything on the Dawn. Really miss concerts/shows by Jozay and Patti in the atrium. Oh well. Memories!!

[Seas2mountains]

13 hours ago, DaisyGoldberg said:

If you don't require a balcony and are on a scenic cruise, the SJ suites are terrific. Lots of room, gorgeous floor to ceiling windows - we did Boston to Canada back to back and the views were just STUNNING.  There are suites with balconies as well, but not the same views from inside the room, clearly.

 

The Murphy bed is quite comfortable as well if somebody needs it.  And the location is great - a short walk to elevators and everything front of ship, and a short walk across the pool area to midship.

 

On a cool weather itinerary I'd take an SJ on the Dawn any time. 

We agree!  And the breakfasts and lunches at Cagney’s or Moderno’s were fabulous. I think the category was SP and not SJ. We loved this room even though there was no balcony. And the Dawn had the Mexican restaurant Los Lobos which is one of our favorites. 

[SplashOfWater]

8 hours ago, cruiserbear55 said:

 Ditto! I was bummed when they moved the Dawn to NY and brought the Gem to Beantown. Not that the Gem and Pearl are bad ships. Outside of the Great Outdoors, neither ship has anything on the Dawn. Really miss concerts/shows by Jozay and Patti in the atrium. Oh well. Memories!!

YES! We loved Jozay and Patti when we were on the Dawn.

[MoCruiseFan]

She is a great ship.  Sailed her several times.  You are welcome in arrears.

[BikerAl]

DaisyGoldberg said "On a cool weather itinerary I'd take an SJ on the Dawn any time. "

 

I cannot find an SJ on the Dawn.

Edited October 15, 2022 by BikerAl

[NJLVW]

11 minutes ago, BikerAl said:

DaisyGoldberg said "On a cool weather itinerary I'd take an SJ on the Dawn any time. "

 

I cannot find an SJ on the Dawn.

It looks like the SP is what the SJ used to be. They changed the categories I think last year or so. 

 

[NJLVW]

We love the Dawn as well. Great ship. Great crew. Been on her several times with another booked for next year. 

[ginger200]

Been on Dawn twice before,and booked for my birthday trip this coming April.

 

I always enjoy the smaller ships an have different kind of staterooms.Never a suite. There is always next time

 

 

[weltek]

Honestly? It is our least favorite NCL ship we've sailed on over 20 years. Biggest reasons:

 

-Few places to read quietly inside, when the weather is bad.

-Entertainment was cheesy and boring (we were in our 30s and like late evening music and comedy..so, you might have a different experience if you like different things).
-We had an oceanview and it was TIRED. The decor and bedding was just kind of sad.

The food was also the worst we ever had in the MDR (consistently not great), but it was long enough ago that I'm sure that's changed.

 

We liked the tiered sundeck. That class of ship is my favorite because of that. 

I would only sail it again with a suite, so that we had plenty of space to relax out of the crowds, when desired, and I likely can't afford that. 

[bonvoyagie]

We were on the Dawn in 2016 in a 2 bdrm suite - had a great 14 days Bos to Quebec and back. Loved Jozsy and Patti - saw thier show in the atrium lounge almost every night. She was refurbished in 16 and was very nicely appointed in neutral tones. I did miss the forward lounge area that are on the Jewel class ships - lack of a Haven is no deal to us - all suites get to eat breakfast and lunch in Modernaro/Cagneys (as long as you are up early enough) a couple of times we slept in and found breakfast at O'Sheehans which served it until 11:00. Being older we enjoy the Jewel class ships and find them quite easy to get around on.

[cruiserbear55]

15 minutes ago, bonvoyagie said:

Loved Jozsy and Patti - saw thier show in the atrium lounge almost every night. She was refurbished in 16 and was very nicely appointed in neutral tones

 

  I'm sure Jozay was thrilled that Patti was refurbished back in 16!!

[phillygwm]

On 10/13/2022 at 6:18 PM, rmarcano said:

I typically cruise Celebrity but see the Norwegian offers tremendous Scandinavian/Baltic itineraries. I don’t need fancy, just clean and good food. I hear so many mixed things about Norwegian, especially the Dawn, so I’d love your opinions. Thanks in advance. 

I was on it once.  While it wasn't my favorite (I prefer the Breakaway Plus class) it's perfectly fine.  You're going for the itinerary, not the ship, so you need a comfy bed and decent food/drink.  The Dawn certainly fits the bill. 

 

If I were doing an itinerary that was more about the ship, I'd probably choose something else but I know people who swear Dawn is their favorite NCL ship.  Different strokes...

Edited November 10, 2022 by phillygwm

[DaisyGoldberg]

On 10/15/2022 at 11:11 AM, NJLVW said:

It looks like the SP is what the SJ used to be. They changed the categories I think last year or so. 

 

Yes, once they moved the Dawn away from Boston, I lost touch.  The deck 12 (pool/buffet deck) forward suites with floor to ceiling windows. Sailed there many times.