NCL Dawn - My Review

[Popsy_cruises]

I’m currently on the Dawn and thought I’d do a few posts detailing my experience in case anyone is feeling nosy! 
 

Some context:

I’m English and this will be my third cruise (last two were on the Epic, all around the Med and Greece). I am by no means a cruise expert however I have travelled a lot and I know what I like and what I don’t. We booked the cruise as it was on a great deal and had a good route, the ship was secondary to us. 
 

We are currently sailing on a 10 day cruise from Civitavecchia to Barcelona, the first since the Dawn got out of dry dock. So far I really am having a lovely time! I’ll try to split the posts up into categories for easier reading. So far, there are more positives than negatives but there are definitely a few niggles. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Stateroom

 

We booked an inside cabin and were assigned 8015, right at the front of the ship. We have no complaints at all. The decor is a little dated but this doesn’t bother us. The cabin is always clean, the bed is comfy, we have plenty of storage and a nice powerful shower and that’s all we need. 
 

Being at the front of the ship means it’s quiet. We very rarely hear people walk past our cabin and we can’t really hear the engines which is great. We did hear the theatre which is directly below on one night but that’s because we went to bed stupidly early, the music stopped just after 10pm and wasn’t that loud. 
 

One thing people may feel is a negative is you really feel the ship move in this location. We’ve had bad weather for the last 2 days and we can feel the ships movement a lot more than we can when on the same deck at O’sheehans which is mid ship. This hasn’t bothered us at all but may bother some people. 
 

Couple of photos below when we first arrived. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Stateroom

 

We booked an inside cabin and were assigned 8015, right at the front of the ship. We have no complaints at all. The decor is a little dated but this doesn’t bother us. The cabin is always clean, the bed is comfy, we have plenty of storage and a nice powerful shower and that’s all we need. 
 

Being at the front of the ship means it’s quiet. We very rarely hear people walk past our cabin and we can’t really hear the engines which is great. We did hear the theatre which is directly below on one night but that’s because we went to bed stupidly early, the music stopped just after 10pm and wasn’t that loud. 
 

One thing people may feel is a negative is you really feel the ship move in this location. We’ve had bad weather for the last 2 days and we can feel the ships movement a lot more than we can when on the same deck at O’sheehans which is mid ship. This hasn’t bothered us at all but may bother some people. 
 

Couple of photos below when we first arrived. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Garden Cafe Buffet

 

I have a love hate relationship with this place. Let’s start with the good: my husband and I have genuinely not had a bad meal here. All the food we’ve tried we’ve really enjoyed and the Indian station in particular is excellent. 
 

Now onto the not so good. 
The layout isn’t great. It’s very closed off and awkward meaning the buffet often feels much more crowded than it actually is because people are squashed into a small place waiting for their food. On the Epic the buffet is much more open and easy to navigate. It’s not enough to stop me sailing on the Dawn in future but it is annoying. 
 

My biggest gripe is the food labelling! I’m vegetarian and I can’t eat a lot of cheese. On the Epic I just looked for the green which made finding suitable food very easy. On the Dawn absolutely everything is coloured brown and I have no idea why. It’s not helpful in the slightest and whilst the staff will tell me what I can have when I ask, I have queued up more than once only to discover that I can’t eat anything at that station. This has annoyed me so much I’m contacting NCL about it as it’s really poor in my opinion. Colour coded labels should not be that difficult to do and they had them on the Epic so there’s no excuse. 
 

The variety is also significantly less than on my last cruise. I don’t know if that’s just because I’m on a smaller ship, if it’s down to NCL cutbacks or both, but there isn’t a lot to choose from especially for a vegetarian. I’ve ended up eating curry for most meals and whilst the curry is excellent and I always love a good daal, it would be nice to have some variety each day. The salad bar has been halved as well. On my last cruise I got a three bean salad, bulgur wheat salad or giant couscous salad most days for lunch and none of these have been on offer during this cruise. The salad that is out doesn’t look particularly appetising and I’ve yet to find a dressing that’s not cream based (where is the balsamic glaze?!). I’ve hardly seen any vegetables either, just some dry looking steamed veg mix. I know I keep referring to my last cruise but on the Epic they had grilled Mediterranean vegetables, vegetable skewers, several types of potatoes, just much more choice. I’ve seen none of that on the Dawn. 
 

The desserts also aren’t that appetising. I avoid gelatine being a vegetarian which means besides the ice cream, I’ve not been able to have a single dessert in the buffet so far. There are also no cookies! I have asked repeatedly and been told they’ll be out during the afternoon tea time, they weren’t. When I asked again I was told I can get them on room service. I believe sometimes they’re served in the casino but I’ve not checked yet. 
 

Again, none of this would stop me sailing on the Dawn in the future but it does make using the buffet more effort than it should be in my opinion. 
 

I do love the buffet staff though! We’re always greeted with smiles and they’re always happy to help. 

[cruiseny4life]

Thanks for bringing us along on your cruise!

[Twolittleboys]

Really appreciate this as I will be on the next cruise!

[www3traveler]

Have you sat down with the Restaurant Manager Noel Chaves about the food labeling? Ask, maybe he can fix it for you or see how to make ingredients more clearly. 

[Popsy_cruises]

19 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Have you sat down with the Restaurant Manager Noel Chaves about the food labeling? Ask, maybe he can fix it for you or see how to make ingredients more clearly. 

I haven’t but when I asked at the desk I was just told to speak with the restaurant and buffet staff and they’d tell me what I could have. Since the cruise is almost over I’m just going to carry on as I have been and contact NCL afterwards about it. 

[Popsy_cruises]

After my rant yesterday there were loads of fresh vegetables on the buffet! As much as I’d love to think I did that, they’ve clearly just had a delivery 😆 either way I’ll take it because the stir fried veg at lunch yesterday  was really very tasty. 

 

I'm currently out exploring Palma but will do another post later on reviewing another part of the ship. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Bamboo

 

Next up to be reviewed is Bamboo. Two main things you need to know about this complimentary restaurant if you’ve not been on the Dawn before:

1. It is very small. 
2. Teppenyaki is inside the restaurant, behind a glass door but you can see and hear it. 
 

We arrived 15mins after it opened for dinner and had to wait an hour for a table. This didn’t bother us as we just went and had a drink in Gatsby’s but it was an excessive wait for the size of the ship I feel. 
 

My choices were limited but I had the harvest spring rolls and vegetable fried rice followed by the chocolate five spice cake, all of which was enjoyable. The cake especially. 
 

My husband opted for a pork dish with the combo fried rice. He said whilst it was ok, the food he'd had from the Asian station in the buffet was much better and he didn't think it was worth an hours wait. 

 

Overall we won't go back because of the wait times and the fact that husband prefers the buffet Asian food. I didn't think it was bad but veggie fried rice is on in the buffet frequently. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Pool Deck

 

I’m currently soaking up some Valencia sun so it seems appropriate to cover this area next. 
 

I really like it! It’s roughly the same size as the main pool area on the Epic but the ship holds half as many passengers so it’s not crowded. Yes, it gets busy when it’s sunny but I’ve not had an issue finding a lounger. The pool is lovely and refreshing today, the other day it was bloody freezing, but today it’s good. I’ve also sampled all the hot tubs and like them all. 
 

We’ve also never had an issue getting a drink, either at the main bar, Bimini’s or by waiter service. My main complaint is that they don’t have the Mango Meltdown cocktail which is my absolute favourite but that’s such a first world problem it’s not really a bother, especially with so many other good cocktails to try (smoked peach margarita is especially yummy). 
 

I think if you took a hot cruise on the Dawn you’d really enjoy this area. The Tropical Beat band who are often playing are also amazing and deserve all of the shout outs. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Teppenyaki

 

Full disclosure: we’ve both been to a Teppenyaki restaurant before. My husband went to one in Manchester and I went to one on the Epic so we both knew what to expect. Didn’t stop us from loving it! 
 

They were excellent at catering for vegetarians, the chefs are very funny and the food was fantastic. Husband had the seafood option, I had vegetable yaki udon. We both had the garlic fried rice and vegetable stack. Husband had the fruit platter dessert and I opted for the green tea cake. All was excellent! 
 

If you don’t like talking to your fellow passengers this one may not be for you as you’ll be sat on a table with 6 other passengers all facing the chef. But if you’re able to book this I highly recommend it. 
 

I found the location a little odd as it’s within the Bamoo restaurant and not its own standalone restaurant but don’t let that put you off. Go with an open mind, sing and clap along and have fun 😊

[schmoopie17]

24 minutes ago, Popsy_cruises said:

 

I found the location a little odd as it’s within the Bamoo restaurant and not its own standalone restaurant but don’t let that put you off. Go with an open mind, sing and clap along and have fun 😊

Sounds like the same set-up as the Jade. Teppenyaki is stashed away inside the Asian restaurant (Jasmine). The goofy thing is there is one line that is used for both restaurants and the host/hostess would constantly go down the line every couple of minutes asking if people were in line for Teppanyaki and pull them out to seat them.

 

We ate in Jasmine four (or was it five) times and loved it. 

 

Edited May 5 by schmoopie17

[BrianLo]

Thanks for the review.

 

Any idea if anything of significance was changed during the dry dock?

[Popsy_cruises]

10 hours ago, BrianLo said:

Thanks for the review.

 

Any idea if anything of significance was changed during the dry dock?

Nothing overly significant. Starling WiFi was installed, a lot of carpets and flooring were replaced, new air con in the cabins and I think there was a general spruce up. No major refurbs. 

[Popsy_cruises]

O’Sheehans

 

We came here quite a lot especially as it was on the same deck as our cabin. It seemed to be nicer than the one on the Epic and we liked the layout. 
 

I came here every evening and asked them to fill my water bottle with iced water. Only time anyone objected was on the very last night when the bar tender told me I should be going to the garden cafe and not using that bar, but since it was the last night he filled my bottle anyway. 
 

We had breakfast here several times and found it to be enjoyable with the exception of the breakfast potatoes. The ones in the buffet were lovely and crispy and well seasoned, the ones in O’Sheehans were greasy and soggy and not that appetising. No idea why they were so different but we tried them twice then opted to leave them out every time we ordered. 
 

The main menu isn’t fabulous if you’re a veggie but I had the nachos without chilli con carne which was nice and I have a soft spot for pretzel rolls (only appeared once on the buffet during the entire cruise so I’d often order the pretzel bites here). I asked for a veggie burger one day but was told they didn’t have them and I didn’t ask for it again. Husband had the wings, the wrangler burger and a chilli dog and said they were all lovely. 
 

What I like about this venue is it’s casual and relaxed but you still get live music either through the atrium piano or through a band playing on the staircase stage. The grey lounge chairs made an excellent spot for enjoying the entertainment and this is a very central location on the ship. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Main Dining Rooms

 

We didn’t manage to eat in Aqua but we ate in the Venetian twice. The biggest reason we didn’t go more is the veggie menu options weren’t to my taste on 80% of the days that we checked. I did go for the veggie burrito and I also had the Idaho potato pot pie, both were lovely. Husband had a chilli prawn special one night and a steak the other and enjoyed both. 
 

We really liked the atmosphere in the Venetian and found all the servers to be friendly and professional. The first time we went was embarkation day and as expected we had a wait of 45mins but we just went to the Bliss Lounge for a cocktail whilst we waited. The second time we went we were seated immediately, we didn’t have a reservation either. 
 

I could definitely notice the cutbacks with the bread baskets. Last time we cruised he baskets had a variety of bread types, usually more on the speciality end. I remember once there was a black rye bread that was very tasty for example. This time it was a simple white crusty roll and a soft wholemeal roll. This didn’t bother us however it is a shame that the speciality breads are a thing of the past as we always looked forward to those. 
 

I’d happily eat at the Venetian again though because the food was lovely as were the servers. 

[Popsy_cruises]

Cookies

 

I’m very disappointed, I didn’t find a single cookie! So unfortunately it looks like NCL have scrapped these. I don’t understand why, the desserts they now have on the buffet surely cost more than the cookies. 
 

I asked repeatedly, I checked the buffet during afternoon teatime, I checked the casino, and yet I couldn’t find a single cookie. I was told they’d be available at both teatime and the casino and never found them. I may have been unlucky with my timing but honestly cookies should not be so hard to find. The only way to get them now as far as I can tell is to order them on room service. 
 

I know a lot of people are disappointed by this particular cutback so hopefully NCL listen and bring back the cookies even if the quantity per passenger is limited to stop people wasting plates full of them. 

[KeithJenner]

19 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Sounds like the same set-up as the Jade. Teppenyaki is stashed away inside the Asian restaurant (Jasmine). The goofy thing is there is one line that is used for both restaurants and the host/hostess would constantly go down the line every couple of minutes asking if people were in line for Teppanyaki and pull them out to seat them.

 

We ate in Jasmine four (or was it five) times and loved it. 

 

It is the same set up as the Jade, but the Jade has more tables in Teppanyaki (from my recollection)

[purplecow15]

2 hours ago, Popsy_cruises said:

 

Cookies

 

I’m very disappointed, I didn’t find a single cookie! So unfortunately it looks like NCL have scrapped these. I don’t understand why, the desserts they now have on the buffet surely cost more than the cookies. 

 

Hopefully they haven’t done away with them. We were on the Dawn in March. There were several kinds of cookies in the afternoon on Great Outdoors deck.

[Arch2000]

There have been rumors that during the dry dock starlink internet was installed on the Dawn.  Is this the case?  How has the internet been on your trip?

[Asawi]

27 minutes ago, Arch2000 said:

How has the internet been on your trip?

I was on Dawn in March. South Africa. Internet was horrible!

 

Plenty of cokkies though. 😄 

Edited May 6 by Asawi

[Panhandle Couple]

11 hours ago, Popsy_cruises said:

Nothing overly significant. Starling WiFi was installed, a lot of carpets and flooring were replaced, new air con in the cabins and I think there was a general spruce up. No major refurbs. 

The kids pool on the aft deck?

Seems like a wasted space, not big enough and too far away from main pool, so parents have to make a decision on which one to sit at, with very limited seating adult seating.

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[Popsy_cruises]

1 hour ago, Arch2000 said:

There have been rumors that during the dry dock starlink internet was installed on the Dawn.  Is this the case?  How has the internet been on your trip?

As far as I’m aware it was installed. Neither my husband or I had any issues with the internet.